Altiport de Col Saint Jean

Primarily economic and management-related. The altiport was privately operated for the Saint-Jean-Montclar ski resort. Its closure is attributed to a change in the resort's management, which no longer saw the value in the high cost and liability of maintaining an active airfield, coupled with a general decline in its use.

The site is no longer recognizable as an active airfield. The former unpaved runway is now a grassy track and mountain pasture, integrated into the surrounding landscape of the Col Saint-Jean. Satellite imagery shows the faint outline of the strip. The area is now used for ski resort infrastructure (ski lifts and service tracks are adjacent), as well as for summer activities like hiking, mountain biking, and grazing for livestock. There are no remaining aviation-specific buildings or markings.

The Altiport de Col Saint Jean was a classic French mountain airfield, significant for providing direct air access to the Saint-Jean-Montclar ski resort. It was part of the expansion of mountain aviation in the French Alps, a movement pioneered by figures like Michel Ziegler. The altiport, with its short, unpaved, high-altitude runway (approximately 400 meters long), primarily handled private, light STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) aircraft, such as Jodel or Piper models. Its main operations were centered on tourism, offering scenic flights over the Alps and allowing pilots and affluent tourists to fly directly to the mountain pass, enhancing the resort's prestige and accessibility during its active years.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the altiport. The high costs of certification, maintenance, and insurance, combined with modern environmental regulations and the land's current use by the ski resort, make a return to aviation operations highly unlikely.