Sion, the capital city of the Valais Region of Switzerland has won international safety standards for its local airport. This means planes carrying up to 120 passengers can now land within a short drive of some of Switzerland’s major ski and snowboard resorts and the country’s top wine-growing region.
This valley is for the most part French speaking except for its easternmost reaches where the resorts of Zermatt and Sass-Fee are German-speaking. The other world-class resorts that will be opened to international traffic will be Crans-Montana, Nendaz, Verbier and Champery that anchors the Swiss side of the Portes du Soleil ski region that spills across the border into France.
The immediate effects on the region of this airport certification will be limited, however, opportunities for the next snowsports season are more interesting should scheduled airlines begin regular service from destinations such as the U.K., Amsterdam and Scandinavia. Charter operators from the U.K. are already serving the city.
“This is important for us, as it will make it easier to attract new traffic to Sion,” the airport’s deputy director Patricia Fellay said. “They will now know that landing and taking off here is as safe as anywhere.”
Currently Sion, in the Rhone valley between two ranges of the Alps, handles just under 30,000 passengers a year and around 28,000 planes, from medium-range business jets through small company aircraft to helicopters and single-seater private planes.
The valley is unique in Europe with almost a tropical climate in the valleys where vineyards thrive in the shadows of perpetually snow-covered peaks topped with glaciers. In between, the valley offers something for every season. The immediate focus for airport planners will be winter when some of Europe’s top ski resorts will now be only a short drive from an international airport.
Zermatt, huddled in the shadow of the Matterhorn, is one of the world’s top ski resorts. It’s village is car-free (but watch out for the electric carts) and the architecture is more or less strictly Alpine. The village boasts year-round skiing on the glacier beneath the Matterhorn and during the winter trails lead down to Cervinia, Italy, where Swiss-bases skiers can enjoy a long Italian lunch before skiing over the border back to Zermatt. Two other major ski sectors, Sunnegga and Gornergrat provide more than enough skiing and riding.
Sass-Fee, has less ritz and glitz and it a more family-oriented resort. It is a resort for those who want to challenge themselves on the slopes rather than rave through the night. The Allalin Restaurant at the top of the glacier, is Switzerland’s highest revolving restaurant and at lunchtime it is surprisingly affordable for wine and pasta. The resort has plenty of summer skiing as well, far more accessible than the Matterhorn Glacier in Zermatt.
Crans-Montana is one of the domains of the super-rich in Switzerland. Hotels are impeccable and the casino provides a different level of elegance for the resort. It is the closest resort to Sion, sitting 3,000 feet above the airport on the base of the valley. Above the village the Plaine Morte Glacier guarantees good skiing and snowboarding.
Nendaz is the (how can I be delicate) low rent district for pricey Verbier. This valley just to the south of Sion is filled with apartment and chalets that connect to the same ski area shared with Verbier, however, the English and Americans have not discovered this affordable valley. The lifts rise to the Mont-Fort Glacier and daring skiers and riders can challenge themselves on the Tortin run as they head back for apres-ski.
Verbier has long been a favorite of extreme skiers and snowboarders. It’s low Alpine architecture and dramatic snowfields have blessed this resort from a winter sports point of view. For snowboarders this is considered one of the top free ride capitals of the world.
Finally, Champéry is the Swiss resort that anchors their side of the Portes du Soleil region that includes Avoriaz and Morzine on the French side of the border. 
This town still has not realized that it has the makings of a world class resort, though the lifts and the skiing are already in place. The odor of cows and goats still waft through the village streets and reclette nights beneath the dramatic, crenulated Les Dents du Midi still find the cheese scraped and served from a giant wheel in front of an open fire.
Each of these valleys has extensive summer activities ranging from hiking and walking paths through the spectacular Alps and some of Switzerland’s top golf courses clinging to mountainsides and spreading across Alpine meadows.
Should direct air transportation begin between Sion and Europe’s capitals, the tourism possibilities — both in the winter and summer — of the Valais will explode.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
