Fontvieille Heliport

043°43'33"N 007°25'12"E

runway: 8 helipads

Air field Fontvieille Heliport (also known as Helliport de Monaco, ICAO: LNMC) is the sole airfield of Monaco/Monte Carlo, one of the smallest countries in the world, although a helipad has existed at the Monte-Carlo Bay Resort in Larvotto at the other side of Monaco, just under 3 kilometers to the northeast since at least 2006.
The airfield was built by order of HRH Prince Rainier in 1980, when he recognised that the country's small helicopter airline Heli Air Monaco needed its own home base instead of residing in another country (at nearby Nice airport, France). The airline, which had started out as a small single pilot outfit in 1976, until then had used a temporary field on the Fontvieille area, which had only recently been reclaimed from the sea. Both the airline (still solely flying helicopters) and the airfield have continued to grow considerably ever since. Having gone from a modest 15,237 passengers per year with three helicopters, the airline grew to nearly 100,000 passengers per year and 8 helicopters.


Overview of the airfield in 2006 (Google Earth)


Final approach to Monaco's Fontvieille Heliport in November 2009.

Additionally the heliport handles private and other commercial helicopters with flights as far as Rome, Italy. The airport serves Nice Airport every 30 minutes by a 7 minute flight, thus connecting to all arriving and departing flights at Nice airport. The same flights also provide a reliable parcel service for the Monaco businesses. The airport continues to expand: currently it has 8 landing spots, two of which on moving platforms that extend over the Mediterranean Sea. Spot numbers and markings for another 3 are painted on the boulevard east of the airfield.


Heliport de Monaco, photographed from the parking in front of the terminal in August 2015. Both Monaco airlines (Monacair and Heli Air Monaco) are at the port and compared to the 2009 photo above a new hangar is visible at the eastern end of the platform (RonaldV).