Serre-Chevalier Airfield

Serre-Chevalier Airfield (also known as Villeneuve) is a former small airport in Briançon.

Altiport de Serre-Chevalier
IATA: SEC ICAO: none
Summary
Airport type	Defunct (Small)
Serves	Briançon, France
Location	Briançon, France
Coordinates	44°57′12″N 006°33′00″E
Map
Serre-Chevalier Airfield Location in France
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m NW/SE 100 40 Asphalt

History

In the 1960s when André Julien visited Briançon, he begun the construction of Serre-Chevalier Airfield which featured a 1000-meter long runway accommodated by a 70-room luxury hotel, and various other amenities. In 1965, the airfield was opened after lots of flattening, and the runway was one of the longest in Europe at the time. It was used by wealthy private plane travelers from across Europe.

This altiport (with a slope of 10m elevation) dating from the 1970s disappeared in the following decade. It hosted regular flights from Air Alpes to serve the nearby ski resorts in the Briançonnais, with Master Pilot Michel Ziegler at the controls.

Closure

However in 1973, the creation of the Parc des Ecrins which protected 92,000 hectares of mountains halted further development, leading to its closure in 1976.

Redevelopment

In the 1980, the airfield was dismantled, and the site was later converted into tennis courts and a car ice racing circuit. Only two hangars remain today.

The site is currently occupied as the Briançon Sports Park, operated with several courts hosting volleyball and tennis venues.

Today, and for more than 30 years, the runway has disappeared, replaced by buildings and thus concrete. It can be repositioned with the alignment of the streets. Towards the parking area, the old structures (hotel) and pool/ice rink (now horses) can still be guessed. As for the runway threshold on the west side, it has become an ice circuit for automobiles. The Guisane river is still there in its bed.