INNSBRUCK (LOWI)
Stretching across eight countries, the Alps are home to many of our past (and future) Challenging Airports features.
The mountain chain arcs around from northern Italy, dipping into Monaco and France before sweeping east through Switzerland, Germany, Liechtenstein, Austria and Slovenia. With mountains soaring up to 15,781ft (Mont Blanc), the range is criss-crossed with deep valleys that hold quaint villages and major population centres. Nestled at the bottom of the Inn river valley in western Austria, the city of Innsbruck is hemmed in on the north and south by 9,000ft ridgelines that parallel the river valley. The population of the city swells in the winter as tourists from Europe and across the world flock to the area for its world-class skiing and winter sports activities. Indeed, Innsbruck has twice hosted the Winter Olympic Games. Roughly one million of those visitors will arrive through the Innsbruck Kranebitten Airport (LOWI), shepherded to their destination by professional pilots running the gauntlet of terrain and weather to reach their destination.
