Homebase Innsbruck: Rush-Hour am Alpenairport LOWI

2019: Innsbruck Kranebitten is Austria's third-largest airport. While the Inn Valley airport is quite tranquil in the summer, it's peak season during the colder months. Innsbruck is a hotspot for winter charters: From December to March, charter and scheduled flights bring winter sports enthusiasts right up close to the slopes. Because the airport is located in a valley, surrounded by high mountains on all sides, pilots require a special license for landing. The recurring south foehn wind, which creates strong crosswinds on the west-to-east runway, doesn't make the approach any easier. We fly in the cockpit of a winter charter with Austrian Airlines in a Bombardier Q400 ("Dash 8") to Innsbruck and experience the spectacular Alpine scenery on this unique approach. With the RNP-AR procedure, the approach is significantly safer today than it was just a few years ago. Back then, the Localizer DME West Approach was considered one of the most difficult approaches in the world, requiring approaching aircraft to circle the runway in the valley below the mountain peaks. The man in the tower tells us about it. And even though the approach is no longer flown often thanks to modern navigation, the nearby flight school still practices the legendary approach today – an opportunity for us to fly along. For the airport, every winter means having to multiply its personnel numbers at short notice – a real organizational challenge, especially in safety-critical areas. The Chief Safety Officer and Head of Ramp Handling, Martin Fleidl, knows this firsthand: For years, he was a ramp agent and always at the front of the apron – and before that, he flew the airport for many years as an airline pilot. With him, we look over the shoulders of tug drivers and baggage handlers and demonstrate the handling of an aircraft from arrival to departure. A film by Phil Thoma. We're showing you this 2019 Planestream classic for the first time on free web TV in cooperation with Flugrevue. #innsbruck #lowi #locdmewest #planespotting #planemaniacs #avgeeks #aviation #austrian #austrianairlines #bombardier #q400 #approach