Sion. Land forty minutes from Verbier, with the car, the helicopter and the fallback arranged.
Sion sits in the Rhône valley with the Valais resorts stacked above it. For Verbier and Zermatt it is the shortest transfer in the Alps. It is also an airport your crew need a specific authorisation to use.
The airport
Sion at a glance
- CodesSIR / LSGSIn the Rhône valley in the Valais, at about 1,580 feet, with high ground on both sides.
- Runway07/25, about 2,000 metresAround 40 metres wide, in a narrow valley rather than on open ground.
- HoursSeasonalRoughly 07:00 to 20:00 from April to September, and 08:00 to sunset from October to March. Extensions can be requested in advance.
- SlotsNot normally requiredUnusually for an alpine field in winter, Sion does not run a slot system, although handling and parking still need arranging.
Signature Aviation, a partner of ours, operates an FBO at Sion. Customs and immigration are handled on the field. Opening hours are seasonal, so a late winter arrival is the thing to check first.
Journey times
From Sion into the Valais
| To | Good conditions | Winter or heavy snow |
|---|---|---|
| Verbier by road | 40 to 55 minutes | 1 hour to 1 hour 30 |
| Verbier by helicopter | About 10 minutes in the air | Daylight and visibility permitting |
| Crans Montana | 30 to 45 minutes | 45 to 70 minutes |
| Täsch, for Zermatt | 1 hour to 1 hour 15 | 1 hour 30 to 2 hours |
| Zermatt itself | By shuttle train from Täsch | Zermatt is car free: the train takes around 12 minutes |
| Gstaad | 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 45 | 1 hour 45 to 2 hours 30 |
| Geneva airport | 1 hour 45 to 2 hours 15 | 2 hours 15 to 3 hours |
| Zurich airport | 3 hours to 3 hours 30 | 3 hours 30 to 4 hours 30 |
Realistic ranges, not promises. The valley floor road is fast. The climbs to Verbier and Crans Montana are not, and they are where winter conditions show.
The qualification
Why your operator may say no
Sion requires crews to hold a specific authorisation for the airport, granted at two levels. The lower level is obtained by studying the airport briefing and passing an examination, and it restricts the aircraft to daylight operations with a high decision altitude and generous weather minima. The higher level requires training at an approved centre and permits lower minima and night operations. If your crew hold only the first, a low cloud base or an evening arrival takes Sion off the table.
There is one further quirk worth knowing. Military training airspace sits above the valley on weekdays, in the morning and again in the afternoon, and flight plans can be refused while it is active. It is not a reason to avoid Sion, but it is a reason to give your operator the intended times early rather than late.
Add the Foehn, the warm wind that funnels down the valley and makes the approach turbulent, and the picture is clear: Sion is the fastest way to Verbier and among the best ways to Zermatt, and it wants planning. As with every alpine field, we hold Geneva behind it.
Operating reality
What your flight department will be working with
Ask these before the trip is confirmed, not on the morning.
- Which level of Sion authorisation does this crew hold, and is it current? It decides the minima and whether an evening arrival is possible at all
- What are the airport hours on our date? From October to March the field closes at sunset, which in December is early in the afternoon
- Are we planning through the military airspace windows on a weekday? Flight plans can be rejected while they are active
- Slots are not normally required, which is a genuine advantage over Geneva and Chambéry in the season. Parking and handling still need booking
- Foehn conditions make the approach turbulent and occasionally unusable. A forecast that looks benign at Geneva can be very different in the Rhône valley
- For Zermatt, remember the village is car free. The car goes to Täsch and the shuttle train does the last stretch, so we plan the handover and the luggage, not just the drive
Onward
Where Sion passengers go next
Resorts
Request a quote
Tell us the week
Resort, dates, tail number or operator, passengers and the ski and bag count. We reply with a clear price, an honest transfer time, and the fallback if Sion is not usable on the day. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Sion transfers
Are these your own cars?
Our own fleet and our own chauffeurs are in London and Manchester, and a trusted global network covers everywhere else. In the Valais cars and helicopters are arranged through operators we know, with one person at Odyssey managing the whole movement.
Is Sion better than Geneva for Verbier?
For the transfer, considerably: forty to fifty five minutes against two hours or more. For certainty, Geneva wins, because it is lower, better equipped and open longer. Most clients plan Sion and keep Geneva behind it.
Why can we not land at Sion in the evening in winter?
From October to March the field closes at sunset. A crew holding the higher airport authorisation can operate at night where the airport is open, but the winter closing time is the practical limit.
How do we reach Zermatt?
By car to Täsch, then the shuttle train into the village, which is car free. We arrange the car, the handover and the luggage so nobody is carrying skis across a platform.
Is the helicopter to Verbier reliable?
In daylight and good visibility it is quick and pleasant, around ten minutes. It is weather dependent, so we always hold the road plan behind it.
Can you arrange the aircraft as well?
Yes, and we will ask your operator about the Sion authorisation before anything is confirmed. See private jet charter.
One contact, wherever you are