Lyon LFLL: 4,000 metres of runway and no curfew
Chambéry closes at 21:00, Grenoble at 21:00, Annecy at 19:00, Samedan at sunset. Lyon does not. It is the only airport in the French alpine area that survives a return after dinner, and it has 4,000 metres of runway that accept any aircraft. You pay for it in driving time: two and a quarter hours from the Three Valleys.
By helicopter
By car
By helicopter
helicopter, 5 pax
Transfer times and distances as published by the airports, the operators and the tourist boards. Where a figure is missing, no public source publishes it.
The resorts this airport serves
| Resort | ICAO | km | By car | By helicopter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courchevel | LFLJ | 180 | 2h 15 | 45′ |
| Val d'Isère | — | 240 | 3h 00 | 55′ |
| Val Thorens | — | — | — | 40′ |
| Méribel | LFKX | — | — | — |
A dash means no public source publishes that figure. We write the dash instead of estimating it.
What constrains the flight Operating notes written in Italian
- Il tempo di strada è il vero costo di Lione: due ore e un quarto verso Courchevel, tre verso Val d'Isère.
- Lione Bron (LFLY) è lo scalo dedicato all'aviazione d'affari dell'area lionese ed è più vicino al centro città, ma ha pista più corta e orari più limitati di Saint-Exupéry: va valutato caso per caso.
- Nelle settimane in cui Chambéry satura, Lione riceve i dirottamenti insieme a Grenoble: anche qui il parcheggio nel picco va chiesto in anticipo.
Season and peaks Operating notes written in Italian
- Opens
- operativo tutto l'anno
- Closes
- nessuna
- Peaks
- febbraio
- Natale-Capodanno
- weekend invernali, per effetto dei dirottamenti da Chambéry
The last leg, and what it costs
| From | Means | Pax | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyon | helicopter | 5 | circa 2.500 EUR |
The two runways and what they mean
Lyon Saint-Exupéry has two parallel runways: 17R/35L at 4,000 metres and 17L/35R at 2,670. Elevation 821 feet, flat ground. There is no business aircraft that does not fit, in any meaningful weather. It is the exact opposite of Samedan and Annecy: here the constraint is never the aircraft. Anyone flying a Global 7500 or a G650 to the French Alps, and wanting to keep it there for a week, often ends up at Lyon even when the resort sits right next to Chambéry.
The only one that holds the evening
This is the advantage no destination page highlights. Chambéry closes at 21:00, Grenoble at 21:00, Annecy at 19:00. Samedan closes at sunset, which in December means mid-afternoon. Lyon operates in the evening and at night. For a Sunday return after the last run, or for a departure that starts late, it is often the only option that does not break the plan. The right question at quoting time is not just what time you arrive, but what time you leave again — and on that Lyon answers when the others do not.
The price of time
Lyon to Courchevel is 180 kilometres and two and a quarter hours. To Val d'Isère 240 kilometres and three hours. By helicopter the times collapse: 45 minutes to Courchevel, 55 to Val d'Isère, 40 to Val Thorens. The sum we run is always the same: if the flight lasts an hour and the road three, the expensive part of the journey is the road. In that case the helicopter is not a luxury, it is the only way to make the time arithmetic work.
Bron and Saint-Exupéry
The Lyon area has two airports: Saint-Exupéry (LFLL), the large international one, and Bron (LFLY), historically the business aviation field, closer to the city. Bron has a shorter runway and more limited hours, so it is not automatically the better choice: it depends on the aircraft and the timing. When we quote Lyon we tell you which of the two we are using and why.
How we work
Alpine Private Jet works with Air-Dynamic, a Swiss company that arranges charter flights and operates helicopter and air ambulance directly. On Lyon the useful thing we do is show you the complete sum: flight plus last leg, against the same trip through Chambéry or Grenoble. Often Lyon with a helicopter costs less than Chambéry without a slot. The intermediation fee is written into the quote. Quote in 1 minute.
Questions we get
How long are Lyon's runways?
17R/35L is 4,000 metres, 17L/35R is 2,670. Elevation is 821 feet. No business aircraft faces limitations.
Is Lyon open at night?
Yes, and it is the only useful airport for the French Alps that is. Chambéry and Grenoble close at 21:00, Annecy at 19:00, Samedan at sunset.
How long from Lyon to the Three Valleys?
About 180 kilometres and two and a quarter hours by road to Courchevel, or 45 minutes by helicopter. To Val Thorens it is 40 minutes by helicopter.
Saint-Exupéry or Bron?
It depends on the aircraft and the timing. Bron is closer to the city but has a shorter runway and more limited hours. Saint-Exupéry has no limits.
When does Lyon beat Chambéry?
When you need a large aircraft, when you need a long stay, when the return is in the evening, and on every date when Chambéry is saturated and capping arrivals at five an hour.
Where people fly in from
Flight time and quote, route by route:
Events here
Tell us the date. We tell you where you land.
Give us the day and how many of you are travelling: we come back with the airport that holds up on that date, the aircraft that fits your luggage and what the last leg costs.
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org — Lione Saint-Exupéry: piste 17R/35L di 4.000 m e 17L/35R di 2.670 m, quota 821 ft
- chambery-business-airport.com — Chambéry dirotta su Grenoble, Lione Bron e Lione Saint-Exupéry senza penale; orari di Chambéry 07:30-21:00
- ops.group — Grenoble orari 07:00-21:00
- alpes-helico.com — Tempi di volo in elicottero da Lione verso Courchevel e Val d'Isère
- valdisere.com — Distanze e tempi stradali verso Val d'Isère e Courchevel
What is not confirmed
This page carries 4 figures that come from our own operating data or from a brief, and that we have not been able to confirm against a public document. They are listed here rather than left where they look like facts.
Open the Italian notes
- Prezzo elicottero Lione-Val Thorens circa 2.500 EUR per 5 passeggeri: dato operativo interno, nessuna fonte pubblica.
- Orari esatti di apertura di Lione Saint-Exupéry per l'aviazione d'affari e disponibilità di hangar: non verificati su fonte ufficiale del gestore.
- Pista e orari di Lione Bron LFLY: non verificati su fonte ufficiale.
- Tempi stradali da Lione verso Val Thorens e Méribel: nessuna fonte ufficiale consultabile.