It has come much sooner than expected. German customs and Federal Border Police are weeding out the customs airfields. They evaluate the number of customs flights and if it was below a certain threshold (they don't say what it is), they pull customs status. As both the EU and Schengen are growing in size, the number of customs flights has dramatically decreased for all airfields.
My airfield (EDTH) has had customs status since the 1960s but it just got pulled effective October 1st. Another airfield got it pulled on the same date and more are to follow. There will soon only be a handful left.
Things are going to get a LOT tougher for Swiss pilots and for those residing in non Schengen countries like the UK in Europe with this happening.
I understood about a year ago that plans were going on to do this. France has done it already, others will follow. I once had a discussion with a policeman at a German airfield who was positively miffed to have been called out for us. My question on how to deal with this in the future was answered by "join the bloody Union otherwise stay out of our country!!".
In some way I can see some sort of pressure exercised even if numbers are small, but it will become more and more unpractical to be based in either Switzerland or the UK (or other non UE or non Schengen states) if this goes on like that. The other version I have heard is to levy hefty customs fees for the attendance of an agent.
Your airport does not mention anything yet on it's webpage...
Probably, nobody adds up the money spent by all the arriving pilots in the local economy.
Doesn't bother me too much. Caen and Le Touquet will make the extra €4.80 or €30, respectively.
For the return flight, pick an airport which is forecast to be OVC001, and file the intended destination as the alternate - example 
Yes, we Brits can always make Le Touquet our next stop, but the cost in time and money of landing, paying fees, taxying, climbing etc isn't totally insignificant. And if Le Touquet pulls the plug on their customs service, then we have a problem. The same for wherever the Swiss go for customs clearance.
I must admit I don't know why the UK isn't part of the Schengen agreement. I know we are very cautious about European harmonisation (and for good reasons sometimes), but it cant just be about border control can it? I mean, that's the 2nd largest thing we moan about in the UK, after the weather of course ;-)
Immigration is a political hot potato in the UK... I can't see it happening.
The situation is fuelled by the crazily generous benefits system which has created a whole generation or two who completely depend on it, and by the difficulty of legally rigging it so that locals can get it (if they didn't there would be Holy War) while limiting it to newcomers. And I am an immigrant too!
There is no effective border control anywhere in the "free world". If you want to stick a dozen Viatnamese (or Romanians, if going along with current UK news headlines) in a boat and sail it across the Channel, especially at night, nobody is likely to catch you. The real problem they have is getting apparently-genuine UK passports and ID documents and that is really what the big money is paid for. But the UK is stuck with its benefits system.
I agree about LFAT being important to us but I don't really see them dropping Customs. At one of the other airports (Calais or Dieppe?) traffic dropped 30% instantly they lost Customs. The town makes a mint out of the arrivals for the €100-200 group lunches etc. Whoever made the French decision may have been narrow minded but they are not completely stupid.
And for each airport that loses Customs, the others nearby rub their hands with a smile. Caen is still there (the airline traffic will ensure Customs presence - as with so many Greek islands which unfortunately mostly have no avgas) at a mere €4.80. Cherbourg if going to the west coast, cheap too.
A landing for Customs is a pure hassle and costs money, but I like to think that the biggest losers are at the other end. When I land in say Croatia, the cost to them is a policeman (resident anyway) spending 30 secs looking at my passport, and they pick up €600 for avgas straight away and that is even before I (or any of the other load of pilots who landed that day) head into the town.
Probably, nobody adds up the money spent by all the arriving pilots in the local economy.
It's a decision by the Federal Border Police and they don't think in categories like "money" and "economy", they don't even know what that is. They have just defined a minimum number of customs proceedings for an airfield and if an airfield does not make that number in a year, it will lose customs status. Our airfield missed the number in 2011 but made it in 2012. That was enough to remove it from the list.
Germany is right in the center of the EU/Schengen and both have expanded dramatically over the last few years. It's only logical for demand for customs handling to go down.
It's not a problem going to non-EU-but-Schengen (Switzerland + Norway) because one doesn't need clearance in Germany unless one has something to declare (only for outbound flights) but it's a major nuisance when flying to outside the EU or outside Schengen. Nothing sucks more than an extra stop that isn't really necessary.
Over time there will be hardly any non EU/non Schengen left, I bet even Switzerland will at some point agree on a tariff union which removes the need for customs clearance. Until then, it's yet another reduction in service and hurdle to GA.
You are right about Le Touquet - it probably takes as many UK visitors as it does French and needs that population to survive as an airport. Most of these customs are not really 9 - 5 or whatever they advertise anyhow - it is random if you ever see an officer.
I watch some of those Border Force programs occasionally, and in most cases they are found after many months or years of having crossed the border, so it does show the controls (besides those at Calais perhaps) don't really work - as you say. I don't have an issue with immigrants - those with good intentions are positive to the UK, but I am not sure Schengen is really doing anything to stop those seeking a 5 bedroom detached with a PlayStation and 42" inch plasma from coming anyhow.
Peter: Probably, nobody adds up the money spent by all the arriving pilots in the local economy.
I doubt that the local community of Heubach did ever make a load of money from arriving pilots originating from non EEC/Schengen countries... The runway is much too short for jets and most turboprops and there are no instrument procedures, which taken together already keep 95 percent of business traffic away. As it is now, the customs status of places like Heubach costs more in terms of taxes than it yields in revenue (my private personal estimation wearing my taxpayer's hat).
My question on how to deal with this in the future was answered by "join the bloody Union otherwise stay out of our country!!".
Regarding Switzerland I can see some reasons (but getting fewer every day) for not joining, but the UK is a complete mystery for me in that respect. They are a long term member of the European Union, yet they still insist on this nonsensical customs and border police stuff. Half joined the EU so to say. If the removal of customs at more and more continental airfields takes away business from the UK (because maybe some etrepreneur will rather select a more hassle-free country for his business) it serves them well.
there are no instrument procedures
But there's a restaurant 8-)
but getting fewer every day
Care to elaborate? The institutional problems seem to be far from solved, so is the democracy deficit.
Care to elaborate? The institutional problems seem to be far from solved, so is the democracy deficit.
Switzerland just needs to find a way to get the benefit and not the cost or deficits. We don't need you in the EU, we just need free exchange of goods so we can fly to Speck without paying 100 CHF
But with EASA membership, you have already picked the very best what the EU offers 
