eff ects related to climate change over the
past few years, which resulted in warmer
conditions and less need to cope with
snow and ice. During last winter [2017-
2018] we were almost ‘back to normal’
with typical days of snowfall and regular
rather cold snaps; the kind of weather we
were used to 20 years ago. I especially
remember the winter of 1998-99 when we
had an extraordinary amount of snow.”
Continuing, he said: “We have a very skilled
and experienced snow-removal team that
is available 24-hours a day if necessary.
We also have suffi cient vehicles for snow
clearing and for contingency, so we are
able to cope in almost any situation. The
staff always react very fl exibly to weather-
related problems, and we have an excellent
relationship with Austro Control [the air
traffi c control provider], which plays a key
role in the success of our operations.”
Remarkably, Innsbruck has an enviable
record when it comes to staying open
whatever the weather –a testament to the
airport, air traffi c control and airline staff
who work diligently to keep things moving:
“In my 34 years at the airport, I only
experienced a closure due to bad weather
once,” concluded Sto er.At the sharp end
The challenges of keeping an alpine
airport open in the middle of winter cannot
be understated, but it is arguably theapproach and departure procedures that
really put INN into the ‘extreme’ category.
Flying an aircraft in to Innsbruck is not
for the faint-hearted, and all fl ightdeck
crew must undergo extra training
before they are allowed to do so. Even
corporate and private pilots must make
at least one training fl ight into INN,
or have completed a local trip with
higher minimums than normal, before
they can operate without restriction.
Captains and fi rst offi cers also have to
be fully briefed for the complex missed
approaches and go-around procedures,
particularly for the circling descent from
the west.
Runway 08 has a somewhat unusual
visual approach that provides a
memorable experience to unwary
passengers sat by windows. It starts
with a descent from the east, down to
3,700ft above sea level (or 1,800ft above
the airfi eld elevation of 1,903ft), after
which the inbound path continues over
Innsbruck. At that point, a seat on the
right-hand side provides a good view of
the city and the mountain peaks towering
above – but only when the weather is fi ne.
The airport then appears, again on the
right, and aircraft continues well beyond
it on a heading of 264o before making a
steep right turn through almost 200o onto
the extended runway centreline. High
ground immediately to the north and thesouth reaches up to around 8,000ft.
A landing on Runway 26 is not quite
so dramatic, as each aircraft still has to
squeeze down the narrow valley, but it
has its moments in low cloud or during
a blizzard.The view from the tower
The airport has a very good safety
record (see panel), and one of the staff
responsible for keeping it that way is
Tower Chief Michael Wieser. “Innsbruck
is unique with the very limited area for
approaches and missed approaches,” he
said. “In certain ways it can be compared
with Chambery, Sion, Calvi or Bolzano.”
Wieser went on to outline the technical
aspects of fl ying into the airport: “With
conventional navigation aids the minimum
descent altitude [MDA, the height below
which pilots cannot descend without
having sight of the lights or the surface]
is 3,300ft above sea level or 1,400ft above
the airfi eld. This is much more restrictiveFAR LEFT: Night-
time operations
demand extra care
as VFR fl ight is not
permi ed. (Martin
Re l via author)
LEFT: Tower
Control Manager
Michael Wieser
is responsible
for all activity on
the airfi eld. (via
author)LEFT: Armin
Sto er is Director
of Traffi c and
Handling at Inns-
bruck Airport. (via
author)INNSBRUCK
20 // Extreme AirportsBELOW: Snow
and ice are not
the only weather
conditions that
can impact
operations.
(AirTeamImages.
com / Danij el
Jovanovic)16-21_Innsbruck.indd 20 11/05/2018 14: