Several of the northern French airports seem to have been downgraded from ATC to AFIS in recent months. There are NOTAMS for several, warning of RA zones around them, which seem quite alarming when first read. These include Cherbourg, Dinard and Lannion as examples. All have instrument approaches.
CREATION OF A TEMPO RESTRICTED AREA (ZRT) ON LANNION AD FOR AFIS
- REF AIP SUP 028/16 AVAILABLE AT : WWW.SIA.AVIATION-CIVILE.GOUV.FR
CREATION OF A TEMPO RESTRICTED AREA (ZRT) ON LE HAVRE OCTEVILLE AD
FOR AFIS – REF AIP SUP 027/16 AVAILABLE AT :
WWW.SIA.AVIATION-CIVILE.GOUV.FR
Q) LFRR/QRTTT/IV/BO /AW /000/020/4939N00125W
A) LFRC
B) 16/03/31 00:00 C) 16/04/13 23:59
E) TRIGGER NOTAM – AIP SUP 029/16 WEF 31 MARCH TIL 9 NOVEMBER 2016 : CREATION OF A TEMPO RESTRICTED AREA (ZRT) ON CHERBOURG MAUPERTUS AD LFRC
LFRR/QFATT/IV/BO /A /000/999/4939N00129W
A) LFRC
B) 16/04/28 00:00 C) 16/05/11 23:59
E) TRIGGER NOTAM – PERM AIRAC AIP AMDT 05/16: TWR SERVICE CLOSED. SID AND STAR WITHDRAWN
For VFR, the phraseology on reporting final is “wind xxx/xx, report vacated” and on reporting lined-up prior to take-off “wind xxx/xx, report leaving the area”.
I’ve not yet arrived/departed IFR but wondered what the procedure/process is – I’m guessing similar to that in Germany – and whether slot-times or other constraints apply.
Can you for example just rock up VFR and request an IFR approach?
And does this last NOTAM indicate that the tower will be closed at Cherbourg (and the instrument approaches discontinued)?
Why the restricted areas? Are they related to the ATC downgrade?
Yes – exactly. I think this may be because they are now AFIS than ATC, it is making it clear that you still have to be in radio contact with the tower when in the vicinity. These NOTAMS will be active until the next AIP cycle, when it is formally embedded as standard procedure.
Perhaps one of our French forumites can clarify/explain further.
Before the restricted area, there was a CTR (class D).
Since AFIS can’t provide control services, the CTR has been withdrawn.
The restricted area ensure that all aircraft flying nearby the airport are in radio contact.
Few years ago, two aircraft (1 VFR and 1 IFR) almost collided in the vicinity of an AFIS airfield. The BEA recommended to create restricted area mandating radio contact near such airfield.
You can find the report on the BEA website (reference BEA f-nb100601).
IMHO fairly obviously the underlying factor in this is a drive to reduce the airport operating cost, so this is going to get widespread because France has many high-fixed-cost airports where very little happens. Not as many as Spain though…
This has always worried me.
Some people land at a deserted airport with an ILS, pay €10 (Cherbourg is actually €10), and think this is wonderful. And with the ability to park an old car there all year, free (a privilege which vanished in “N Europe” decades ago) it is just heaven. Even better is flying to Dinard, find nobody in the hut, so you fill in the form with your details, and wait …………………. 1 year! One whole year before somebody sends out the bill. Even if Dinard had a 30-plane fly-in every day, their cash flow would be terrible. They would have € multi million loans to cover it.
But to me this is death of that airport – as soon as somebody realises what is going on.
Clearly somebody is now waking up, so this is likely to get widespread.
I wonder where it will end.
Few years ago, two aircraft (1 VFR and 1 IFR) almost collided in the vicinity of an AFIS airfield
That sounds like any place in the UK on a sunny Sunday 
I believe Lannion has 2 AF flights per weekday (35.000 pax/y) and that’s all the scheduled traffic there is. Maintaining the airport open costs north of 3 M€ a year, including a public subsidy to AF to maintain their route to Paris.
It is hard to justify maintaining a full-time manned control tower. DGAC is therefore removing the controller which will be replaced with an AFIS paid by the airport operator.
More here.
Guillaume wrote:
The restricted area ensure that all aircraft flying nearby the airport are in radio contact.
That’s one way of doing it, I guess. But why not use a RMZ instead?
If I read the SUP AIP correctly, then it is sufficient to be in radio contact with the AFIS. That means, you don’t need a “clearance” to fly through there. So this ZRT behaves exactly like a RMZ that is only active during the opening times of the AFIS, which probably coincides with the daily commercial flights.
But then, I have never seen a RMZ in France. Like DavidC, I am wondering what they will replace this ZRT with once it becomes permanent.
Question to the UK pilots here: Isn’t this “radio contact mandatory” zone from SFC to 2500 ft the same as an ATZ which automatically exists around all aerodromes in the UK? (Or was it only the ones with an A/G station?)
Aviathor: Thanks for the link to press article – lot of interesting stuff in there.
- France has nearly 160 airports and airfields, one for 358,000 inhabitants. This ratio is 1 to 1.2 million in the UK, from 1 to 2.1 million in Italy, and 1 to 4.3 million in Germany!
- Too many regional airports, all heavily subsidised. St Breiuc looks very marginal to remain open in particular, with Quimper and Lannion also at more immediate risk.
- In Brest, a passenger on a flight to Paris at 59 euros doesn’t even cover the fuel cost
- A TGV rail line open next year will likely take a lot of the passenger traffic
- The strange quote from a Union of French Airports representative “Some airlines say for example that the AFIS system is not sufficient, and avoid airfields that have them” (Well that isn’t the case in USA and quite surprising comment).
- DGAC are phasing out ILS in favour of RNAV, and have already downgraded ATC to AFIS
I interpret the situation is that once the AIP has been updated, these NOTAMs will disappear – they are helpful to alert pilots to the change, but later this will simply become part of the standard national procedures. Whether there will be any further markings on the chart or not to show these RMZs, I don’t know.
Most licensed airfields in the UK would have Class D ATZ and this requires two-way radio contact with the tower unless previously agreed (or an emergency). This is regardless of whether ATC, AFIS or A/G radio service. I thought that was also the case in German airfields with AFIS too, and don’t really understand why France is appearing to adopt a different approach to document the situation compared to other EASA countries. I presume there will remain Class D around these airports when AFIS is in service, with AFIS/tower operating hours clearly stated in the AIP already and out-of-hours using self-announcements in French as already in place.
Most licensed airfields in the UK would have Class D ATZ
I don’t think so… most PPL training places had to be licensed till recently and most are G.
