Interlaken Airport Flugplatz Interlaken | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Former military airbase | ||||||||||
| Serves | Interlaken | ||||||||||
| Location | Interlaken, Switzerland | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,893 ft / 577 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 46°40′35″N007°52′44″E / 46.67639°N 7.87889°E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  LSMI Location of the airport in Switzerland | |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Interlaken Airport [lower-alpha 1] ( ICAO : LSMI) is a former military airbase in Interlaken, Switzerland. [1] The airbase is now closed to scheduled commercial flights.
From 1919, there was a civilian airfield at the site, which was closed during the economic crisis in 1930. The second airfield was built in 1940 during the Second World War as a Swiss Reduit airfield and opened in 1941. The Swiss Air Force operated all aircraft types up to the Northrop F-5 there and from 1947 operated the specialist department for the de Havilland Vampire aircraft. [2] From 1964 to 1967, Globe Air operated charter flights from London to Interlaken during the high season. [3] During the Cold War, Interlaken was used as operation base for Squadron 7 (Hunter) and as a maintenance facility for the aircraft until 1990. [4]
In 1971, Swiss Air Rescue formed a base at the airfield named Wilderswil. Initially based in the military buildings, in 1982 the air rescue moved to a new heliport in Gsteigwiler. However, in 2008 they returned to Interlaken airfield retaining the Wilderswil base name. [5]
In 2003, military use ceased and the airfield was sold. [6]
In 2003, Mystery Park was opened on the site as a theme park based around the author Erich von Däniken. The park closed in 2006, before being purchased by Jakob Dietiker for $13million and renamed Jungfrau Park. [7] [8]
In 2004, the site was considered a potential venue for a permanent motor racing circuit, however this did not materialise, notably as the Swiss government only lifted the ban on motorsport in the country in 2018 ahead of the Zurich ePrix. [9] [10] Motor racing has since taken place on the airfield, notably in 2019, the opening round of the Swiss Slalom motor racing series was held at Interlaken. [11] In summer 2023, an Alfa Romeo owners club meeting at the facility broke a national record for the most vehicles of the brand in one place. [12] [13]
Since 2005, the annual Greenfield music festival takes place at Interlaken. [14]
In 2007, Interlaken Airbase was used for the sixth round of the Red Bull Air Race. [15] It was also used for the 2024 Paragliding World Cup. [16]
In 2023, Matten bei Interlaken railway station opened on the site. [17] [18]
An airbase, sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a military base by a military force for the operation of military aircraft.
The Jungfrau, at 4,158 meters (13,642 ft) is one of the main summits of the Bernese Alps, located between the northern canton of Bern and the southern canton of Valais, halfway between Interlaken and Fiesch. Together with the Eiger and Mönch, the Jungfrau forms a massive wall of mountains overlooking the Bernese Oberland and the Swiss Plateau, one of the most distinctive sights of the Swiss Alps.
Lauterbrunnen is a village and municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. The municipality comprises the other villages of Wengen, Mürren, Gimmelwald, Stechelberg, and Isenfluh, as well as several other hamlets. The population of the village of Lauterbrunnen is less than that of Wengen, but larger than that of the others.
Interlaken is a Swiss town and municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern. It is an important and well-known tourist destination in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss Alps, and the main transport gateway to the mountains and lakes of that region.
The Harderbahn (HB) is one of two funiculars that operate from the town of Interlaken. The Harderbahn leads to the western end of the Harder in the north of Interlaken across the river Aare, in Switzerland.
The Bernese Oberland Railway is a narrow-gauge mountain railway in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. It runs, via a "Y" junction at Zweilütschinen to serve Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald from Interlaken. The railway is rack assisted.
The Swiss Air Force is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on 31 July 1914, three days after the outbreak of World War I, as a part of the army and in October 1936 as an independent service.
Wilderswil is a village and a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
Saxeten is a municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
Wilderswil railway station is a railway station in the village and municipality of Wilderswil in the Swiss canton of Bern. The station is on the Berner Oberland Bahn, whose trains operate services to Interlaken Ost, Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen. It is also the valley terminus of the Schynige Platte Railway, whose trains operate to the Schynige Platte and are stabled at a depot bordering the station.
Matten bei Interlaken is a village and municipality in the Interlaken-Oberhasli administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
Jungfrau Park is an amusement park located near Interlaken, Switzerland. It opened as the Mystery Park in 2003, and closed in November 2006 due to financial difficulties and low turnout. The park was designed by Erich von Däniken, and consisted of seven pavilions, each of which featured one of several great "mysteries" of the world.
Wunstorf Air Base is a German Air Force military airfield, located 6 km (3.7 mi) south-southwest of Neustadt am Rübenberge and 4 km (2.5 mi) north-northwest of Wunstorf in Lower Saxony, Germany. Wunstorf Air Base is the home to Air Transport Wing 62, a unit operating all German Airbus A400M Atlas.
Breitlauenen is a railway station on the Schynige Platte railway, a rack railway that connects Wilderswil with the Schynige Platte in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland. Breitlauenen is the only intermediate station on the line, and has one of the line's two passing loops.
Meiringen Air Base, also known as the Unterbach Military Airfield, is a Swiss military airbase located near the hamlet of Unterbach and the town of Meiringen, in the canton of Bern. It is one of three main airbases of the Swiss Air Force.
Dübendorf Military Airport was a military airfield of the Swiss Air Force northeast of Dübendorf in Switzerland, located east of Zürich.
Militärflugplatz Emmen is a military airfield of the Swiss Air Force north of Emmen, Switzerland, located northwest of Lucerne.
The Air Base Alpnach is a Swiss Air Force airfield near the town Alpnach in Canton of Obwalden in Switzerland. It has a concrete runway with a length of 1,500 meters (4,900 ft) and a width of 40 meters (130 ft), as well as several taxiways and hangars.
Christine Häsler is a Swiss politician. She served between 2002 and 2015 as a member of the Grand Council of Bern. She moved into national politics in June 2015 when she became a member of the country's National Council. 2018 she was elected as member of the government of the Canton of Bern.
Matten bei Interlaken railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Matten bei Interlaken, in the Swiss canton of Bern. The station was opened in December 2023.
| Authority control databases: Geographic |
|---|
 | This article about a European airport is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
