I’m planning to fly to Lyon LFLY coming Thursday. The plan is to fly from Lelystad direct to Lyon, and continue to Sion LSGS the next day.
The AIP states the following for Lyon:
I’m a bit unsure how to read this. Also, the refered website www.douane.gouv.fr is in French only so it’s of little use for me.
From my understanding it seems that coming from The Netherlands, I can just fly there. Correct?
And for the flight next day to Switzerland I need to notify them 24HR?
I flew there recently and the airport notified them. Just email [email protected] and ask (although make clear you don’t need handling).
Call me paranoid 
but while using a handler for this is a very good tactic (because often, nobody else at the entire airport can, or wants to, speak English) it can also result in the handler waiting for you on the tarmac and grabbing you
Out of interest, what would be the contact for a flight to/from the UK? I may be doing that this year. I used to go to St Yan but that is now inaccessible unless one does a stop enroute.
The handler is the airport terminal office itself. They will be there whether you email or not.
Jason, I guess you flew in from outside Schengen. Lenthamen will not.
So, no notice is required for the flight from NL. I flew to Bron (from Germany) on Saturday.
For the flight to CH, the PN requirement does apply.
And yes; if the AIP says to notify customs directly, then that’s what you should (and not notify the airport).
I actually flew from EDFE but departed to the UK. Just be thankful you are below 3.5 tonnes is all I will say about the handling.
I flew to Lyon from the UK a couple of weeks ago, and I was equally confused by the AIP. Note the distinction between “French customs” (not required from UK) and “boundary police” – the latter covers immigration, which is what is is technically required from UK. I had no customs requirement as it was a standard flight with just pax (no goods).
I ended up emailing the customs (cli-lyon@…) address with my flight details, and they replied with a standard form they wanted me to complete. I completed that and sent it, and then phoned the boundary police to see if they also needed notification. The boundary police lost me in their phone system :)
Having completed an (unnecessary) customs form, and there being no documented requirement for PNR for immigration, I just flew anyway, and there were absolutely no problems. I’m not sure whether I did the right thing though!
Just be thankful you are below 3.5 tonnes is all I will say about the handling.
I didn’t say “don’t contact handling”. I said that for the custom PN, one should use the contacts mentioned in the AIP.
Think positive Jason… as a heavyweight, you get to park right in front of the GAT. Small SEPs have to park over one km away…
In the French AIP (and possibly others) the word “police” means Immigration which is all that’s needed to/from the UK.
Unfortunately a lot of French airports, even “Ryanair” ones, have a long PNR on Immigration.
They also never reply…
boscomantico wrote:
Think positive Jason… as a heavyweight, you get to park right in front of the GAT. Small SEPs have to park over one km away…
Let’s just say it was an expensive privilege.
