Current list of French airports with Customs
Is there one as it seems the AIP can no longer be relied upon?
Which are the cases where the current AIP (plus NOTAM, of course) cannot be relied upon?
There is an official EU list which, for each country, lists its Ports of Entry for sea and air.
I have the URL somewhere in my VFR presentation under Articles.
Whether one can argue this has precedence over the AIP, for aviation purposes, I doubt.
Pontoise from memory. Says available with PNR but this is no longer true.
The Schengen borders list (land, sea and air) is maintained on the website of the Directorate General for Home Affairs – see here
France is on pages 33-36 (no mention of Pontoise).
Since international borders is a general legal matter (not aviation specific) I don't think the AIP should be treated as definitive. The DGAC should probably keep the French AIP up to date but it's not the source of the law. (The DG for Home Affairs borders list is authoritative as it is required to be supplied to the EU by each Schengen country under Article 34 of Regulation 562/2006.)
Sorry to disagree somewhat, but a pilot cannot be expected to study a "Schengen list" on some website as part of his preflight. He is to know the AIP and what's written there is what counts for pilots.
Again, are there any clear-cut cases where either -"customs" is written in the AIP/NOTAMs but it is effectively not possible, or -the "customs" remark is missing in the AIP/NOTAMs, but effectively it is possible (leaving aside unique one-off arrangements)? I wouldn' believe so.
Again, are there any clear-cut cases where either -"customs" is written in the AIP/NOTAMs but it is effectively not possible, or -the "customs" remark is missing in the AIP/NOTAMs, but effectively it is possible (leaving aside unique one-off arrangements)? I wouldn' believe so.
I gave you an example below. Pontoise - LFPT
there's a NOTAM (B1135/13) stating LFPT does not have customs
there's a NOTAM (B1135/13) stating LFPT does not have customs
Yes, but when you do your initial flight planning, you (I at least) don't already check the NOTAMs, normally. You consult the AIP or Jeppesen instead. And when you find out the evening before your flight that "PNR" in reality means "no customs whatsoever" then you can re-plan everything in the last minute. Our operations guys have learnt from expensive mistakes in the past and will contact evey destination airfield (even those where we have already been!) well in advance by phone, fax or mail to confirm opening hours, fuel, customs, snow removal and so on. It's stupid and unnecessary for 98 percent of all flights, but it will save the day for the remaining 2 percent.
Therefore, also a "definitive list" can always only be valid momentarily and will never replace the phonecall...
there's a NOTAM (B1135/13) stating LFPT does not have customs
Pontoise LFPT obviously doesn't have Customs because the Shoreham scheduled service to Pontoise has just been scrapped because they could not arrange Customs there.
I recall various ambiguities e.g. Pontoise ATC telling pilots it's OK to fly there (from the UK) even when the usual places said No Customs.
Calais or Dieppe were others.
No idea about any current ones where information contradicts itself.
Our operations guys have learnt from expensive mistakes in the past and will contact evey destination airfield (even those where we have already been!) well in advance by phone, fax or mail to confirm opening hours, fuel, customs, snow removal and so on. It's stupid and unnecessary for 98 percent of all flights, but it will save the day for the remaining 2 percent.
I very much agree. Pointless but saves a lot of time when something changes. That's why I also always get airport notams. Well, nearly always; the one time I forgot recently there was something very relevant I should have known about.
