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New Resource - Map of Customs Airfields in Europe (merged)

This comes up all the time, because the French like to make it difficult for us. I’ve had numerous reports of the AIP being inaccurate.

As such, i’ve decided to compile a list – and we can contribute toward it to make it accurate.

It’s here:
https://www.onlinegar.com/frenchcustoms.olg

I should point out that this isn’t “from scratch” – this list already existed on OnlineGAR because we use it to automatically notify customs when you file a GAR form. So adding some extra notes from the AIP, and from other sources if necessary, is a logical step.

Any feedback and contributions welcome, i will update it with whatever the community knows.

EGKL, United Kingdom

Carl,
A quick glance at the list shows that Deauville LFRG and Calais LFAC are both missing from the list.

And Carl, thanks for the GAR, best system ever.
_____________________

For those interested I had this email from CALAIS AIRPORT this morning…

Hello,
A small e-mail from our platform to advise you of the opening of the airport restaurant. It is open from 10 am to 5 pm from Tuesday to Sunday.

My first thought was “Not again…”

the French like to make it difficult for us.

And I resent that kind of comments which imply intent.

But after having seen the list I think it is useful in the sense that it provides a nice and synthetic overview of numerous French airports. Would I trust that list over the AIP/NOTAM? No. I just would consider it a convenient starting point for the selection of a port of entry.

I did not want to check for exhaustivity at first, but the more I looked at it, the more I realised there were loads of airports missing.

  • Cannes
  • Calvi
  • Bastia
  • Pontoise
  • Beauvais
  • Limoges
  • Carcassonne
  • Poitiers
  • Bergerac
  • Bordeaux
  • Toulouse Blagnac

This list is provided because the situation with French Customs Airfields is complex and changes reasonably frequently. The AIP has proven to not always be accurate.

I do not believe the above statement about accuracy and complexity, is true either. No more in France than in other countries. Changing the AIP is a lengthy process so the AIP may be “inaccurate” for a long time while there is a NOTAM out. Just as your list may be considered inaccurate.

Take a look at LFPN for example. The list says

On Request 24H

The AIP says

HX O/R PN 24 HR FAX : 01 49 92 93 66
E-mail : [email protected]
BGTA TEL : 01 39 56 51 83.

A NOTAM says

B0053/16 NOTAM
Q) LFFF/FZAH/IV/NBO / A /000/999/4844N00206E
A) LFPN
B) 2016-01-05 11:13 C) PERM
E) CUSTOMS:
-INNER SCHENGEN AND EU FLIGHTS : AUTHORIZED UPON CAPITAL AND FREIGHT
ALLOWANCE – SEE WWW.DOUANE.GOUV.FR
-INNER SCHENGEN AND OUTSIDE EU FLIGHTS (SWITZERLAND, LIECHTENSTEIN,
ICELAND, NORWAY) :
TUE-FRI : O/R THE DAY BEFORE, BEFORE 1100
SAT-MON : THE LAST WORKING DAY BEFORE 1100
FAX : +33 1 74 25 96 27
E-MAIL: SR-DUGNY(A)DOUANE.FINANCES.GOUV.FR
-OUTSIDE SCHENGEN (UK, IRELAND, ROMANIA, BULGARIA, CYPRUS,
CROATIA) AND OUTSIDE EU FLIGHTS : PROHIBITED

Last Edited by Aviathor at 19 May 09:02
LFPT, LFPN

LFPN has Customs but no Immigration – basically, I think…

This is the “European problem” – the commonly used international aviation word “Customs” has to be split up into the two categories.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

God knows how I missed Deauville – i flew there last week!! Thats updated now. Shame they don’t seem to have a customs email address for PNR. We did get told off for not PPR, so i’ll add that here. “Note that PPR Number is Required”

Calais rather uniquely have a web form to fill in, but no email address.

For Calvi – anyone got any idea what this means? “CUSTOMS: HJ from 01/05 to 30/09, HJ PN 6HR from 01/10 to 30/04.
IMMIGRATION: WIN: 0600-1700, SUM: 0500-1600.”

For Bastia – also a bit cryptic …. “Customs : from 01/04 to 30/09 H24 from 01/10 to 31/03 HJ (HN O/R before 17 H)”

Others on the list all added with reference to AIP text.

I’ve updated LFPN to say “Prohibited outside EU/Shengen”

EGKL, United Kingdom

HJ must mean “Heures de Jour”, i.e. “daytime”. HN would be “Heures de Nuit” or “nighttime”.

PN = Prior Notice and O/R = On Request, but I guess those weren’t in question.

Thanks – i’ve added the translation :)

EGKL, United Kingdom

God knows how I missed Deauville – i flew there last week!! Thats updated now. Shame they don’t seem to have a customs email address for PNR. We did get told off for not PPR, so i’ll add that here. “Note that PPR Number is Required”"

That would be weird. There is nothing in AIP/NOTAM to suggest PNR for customs/inmigration for Deauville…

Can you elaborate?

I’ve updated LFPN to say “Prohibited outside EU/Shengen”

Written like this, I think that’s more confusing rather than clarifying.

I agree with Aviator though, we don’t need yet one more “list” somewhere on the internet. We need people to check AIP and NOTAM carefully and throroughly during flightplanning and that’s it. (And if they want, in addition, they can contact the airport directly with their customs/immigration request to be 100% sure).

Last Edited by boscomantico at 19 May 09:53
Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

On first contact with French Radar (I forget the frequency) i announced myself. I was told “G-VX you require PPR To land at Deauville, do you have a PPR Number”. I said no, he let me go there anyway, and nobody on the ground mentioned it again.

EGKL, United Kingdom

Carl
You definately do not need PPR to land or for immigration/ customs at Deauville, I cannot understand why you were even asked.
Maybe perhaps you were arriving from another French airfield without a Flight Plan?

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