to 172driver: I only call when the answer is NOT in the AIP.
The answers to the question I raised were not in the AIP
As I’ve flown to Santander several times since my first post here are the answers
Q1: Is the aerodrome PPR?
It seems that it can become PPR by NOTAM, but It was not when I flew there.
Q2: Is a handling agent mandatory?
Although they say yes in the AIP, in practice the answer is no. Unless you would have to park on a different apron than the GA one.
Q3: Where to park?
A follow me car will take you to the GA apron
It’s a hard surface apron. There are rings so that you can tie down your aircraft.
You may walk to the terminal on your own, it seems that one of you must wear a high visibility jacket.
Q4 Landing fees?
Should I pay my landing fee on arrival or can it wait until departure? Is it easy to pay or should I plan to wait?
I paid on departure. The first time they have to register you as a client, it takes around 30 mn. I paid with a Maestro card.
There is no C sign or any other clue to help you to find the office. Look for stairs in the terminal, it’s upstairs, a place called “flight planning”.
You can get some weather information, there is a computer that you may only use to file a flight plan, once filed, they will print it and rubber stamp it so that you can go back to your plane.
The price is around 50 euros plus 18 euros per day.
Q5: How do I get back to my plane?
To go airside back to your plane you must have a rubber stamped flight plan.
You will have to go through security but when you show your FPL they will allow you to keep your bottle of water (don’t know about your swiss knife), you will have to wait until someone can usher you to your plane. I never waited longer than 5 minutes.
Q6: Fuel?
On arrival before leaving frequency request the AVGAS truck, otherwise you can ask the marshaller, or call them (phone number in the AIP).
I never waited long before the truck comes, but the paperwork takes a long time. 1/2 hour in all on average for refuelling and paperwork.
They accept BP cards. They will want to know: IATA (not ICAO) code of destination, your tax number (even if you have a BP card), wether the flight is commercial or not, and if you intend to burn more than 50% of the fuel you uplift over spanish territory.
Q7 facilites?
A self service restaurant, a small souvenir shop etc. I could not find any way to get an internet access.
Q8 Language
The personnel I met spoke English, all of them were very professional and helpful.
When handling is required for a specific airport, it is stated in the AD section of the AIP corresponding to that airport. Usually in point 20
May I suggest you check the AENA site? This tells you the arrangements for the various Spanish airports in some detail. IIRC, there is a doc on there that spells out the handling requirements.
A handling agency can also be the airport operations staff.
I didn’t previously realize that the Spanish AIP was such a snakepit, though…
Thank you for your answers.
According to AIP 1.1-4
3.1.6 Handling
It is mandatory that all operations, including those that are non-commercial, make the appropriate arrengements with the handling agencies in the destination airport, except the operators with an auto-handling agreement in the destina- tion airport and in compliance with the particular conditions in each airport (See AD-2, item 4, Handling services and facilities).
Should I really make arrangements with a handling agent?
Aeroplanes are not a desirable activity, and this gets worse the more south you go.
At least you get ATC service down there, which is more than can be said for the UK.
Other than that I’m with Bosco on the phoning ahead issue. Bad habit and only serves to annoy the people who run airports. In fact, this is counterproductive, as the various ARO guys have to conclude that pilots are unable / unwilling to read the AIP. Which, in turn, leads to more restrictions on GA. For crying out loud, what’s so difficult about flying to a commercial airport? I can understand (and do myself) phoning ahead to some small field with lots of gliders and / or meat bombing, but other than that, read the docs, file your flight plan and go.
I’ve been VFR several times to LEXJ and I’ve never asked for a slot and never got a complaint for that.
It’s true that the last time was like one year ago, maybe, so things may have changed.
In any case the only mention to PPR in the AD part is this one:
Touch and go operations by training, school and private flights have to request
clearance from operatons office, with a minimum of two business
days.
Fax: +34-942 202 153 / 52
AFTN: LEXJZPZX
For me it means that only touch and go operations, made by training, school or private flights, need to be authorized previously.
But maybe somebody in the airport management reads (or he intented to have written) that t&g and school, and private flights need the authorization…
This kind of ambiguity, which is best resolved by getting a local language speaker to phone up the airport and even then the information isn’t going to be in writing so you can’t rely on it in “strict PPR” cases, is why the minimal effort involved in shooting off a few emails (plus faxes, for good measure, if you have an email2fax facility) might just be helpful, even if you never know whether it was or wasn’t.
Most of the time you won’t get a reply but just sometimes you will get something back which forces a change of plan, and that is a “useful” outcome in itself.
Other sources tell me Santander is not PNR or PPR.
I have had PPR arranged with Zaragoza, by phone from Granada, which Zaragoza washed their hands of aggressively (they issued a Cancel message to Eurocontrol to cancel my flight plan there). And while this has never happened to me, I know of a group of pilots who were denied a landing clearance at Corfu because again they did the PPR only verbally and the same officer was not on duty when they turned up, so they had to divert to Dubrovnik. These airports did that just for a laugh – to show they can. I have been turned away on final approach from Padova in Italy, who denied received any of four faxes for PNR Customs (inbound from Croatia). For the sake of making a positive contact, why not just send the message? In some “known problem” cases like Corfu (which is alone in Greece in this behaviour) I keep re-sending it until I get a reply 
Disclaimer: I speak only English, which makes a huge difference in Spain and Italy.
Just checked that. It is weird to have these things written in part GEN. Also, they should at least replicate that in part AD.
They even have places like Sabadell in that list of airports. Laughable, it’s a VFR, GA only airfield!
I wonder how hold that AIP entry in part GEN is. As a matter of fact, tons of people (me included) have used these airports without any form of PPR (and without being bothered after landing).
From GEN 1.2:
bq. Based on the level of congestion at the airport, the Operations Centre will decide whether or not to authorize the requested operation schedule. At busy times they may offer alternative schedules.
Laughable. Typical for Spain.
@boscomantico
I have checked the AIP before posting and, as I wrote above, sometimes, AIP and practice are different, that’s why I ask my questions here.
According to AIP GEN 1.2.5. 3.1 Santander is one of the Aeropuertos con Horarios Facilitados
According to AIP GEN 1.2.5. 3.3
At Schedules Facilitated airports, the procedure for general aviation, business, airtaxi, test and training flights will be as follows:
- The flight operator will request authorization directly from the Operations Centre of each airport a minimum of three hours before the scheduled arrival time (ETA) and/or the scheduled takeoff time (ETD), providing the following information:
- flight date and time. – flight identification (flight number and registration mark). – type of aircraft . – origin airport and arrival time. – destination airport and departure time.
So it seems that there is a discrepancy between theory and practice.
