# Emmen Air Base (EML)

> Emmen, CH · IATA: EML · ICAO: LSME · Medium Airport

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `EML` |
| ICAO | `LSME` |
| City | Emmen |
| Country | CH |
| Type | Medium Airport |
| Elevation | 427 m |
| Cargo | ❌ |
| GPS | 47.09244, 8.30518 |

## Description

Emmen (EML/LSME) near Lucerne is a Swiss Air Force base with civil use capped at about 1,000 movements a year, which leaves it without any role in air freight. The Air Force flies F-5 Tiger training here across roughly 34 weeks in 2026, plus F/A-18 activity and ADS 15 drone operations, and from 2026 Emmen and Dübendorf together form Airfield Command 7 under Fighter Brigade 31. Permitted civil traffic is limited to industrial flights by RUAG and Pilatus and to Rega air rescue; there are no scheduled services, no cargo handling facilities, no forwarder warehouses and no customs office for commercial goods. The field is also closed outright at times — in 2026 the runway is shut from 20 July to 18 August. Air freight for Central Switzerland therefore runs almost entirely through Zurich (ZRH) and its Kloten cargo terminal, about an hour away by road, or through EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse (BSL/MLH), the second Swiss gateway and a base for pharmaceutical and express traffic. Road access is via the A2 and A14 motorways around Lucerne, and Swiss customs clearance takes place at those gateways or at inland customs offices rather than at Emmen.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/emmen-air-base-airport-eml](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/emmen-air-base-airport-eml)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/emmen-air-base-airport-eml](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/emmen-air-base-airport-eml)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/emmen-air-base-airport-eml/llm-summary*