Well, typically I have received an automatic reply confirming the eMail has been received. So far I was happy with that, but also never had an issue close to your issue in Italy…. Also knowing/assuming that the airfield has whatever sort of processes to inform Customs from their side, if they haven’t forgotten to do it….
MikeWhiskey wrote:
It is very important to keep in mind that Customs can (and obviously will) change the customs status of the airfields at any time.
The status is essentially based on the criteria listed in Section II.1 in this document (https://www.zoll.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/DE/FormulareMerkblaetter/Zollrecht/Zoll/merkblatt_befreiung_zollflugplatzzwang.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2). The document seems to be available in German only and the section ends with the sentence that the list of additional airfields (“special airfields” if translated literally) is published on the German Customs website, which is the link that MikeWhiskey had published: https://www.zoll.de/DE/Fachthemen/Zoelle/Erfassung-Warenverkehr/Befoerderungspflicht/Zollstrassenzwang/liste_andere_verkehrsrechtlich_zugelassene_flugplaetze.html?nn=297082&faqCalledDoc=297082
Peter wrote:
I’d say that the airport desk telling you is probably not good enough. Would the Customs office reply? In GA in Europe generally, one never gets any reply from the “police”.
I have always received a reply from German border police or customs when I requested one. In many cases, airfields now use automated web-based systems and a reply is furnished after the airfield has passed the details on the customs.
The AOPA case, however ridiculous and unfortunate it looks, seems to stem from the fact that no one (including the airport) knew that the airport was no longer on the list of authorised airfields.
I still object to the statement “Post-brexit, any Brit landing in Germany will have to land at one of these i.e.” as technically the same would apply today for airfields that have an on-request border police arrangement. What changes post-Brexit is that the UK would potentially (depending on how the next phase would look like) leave the EU customs area but it has always been outside the Schengen area.
I don’t agree with the recommendation that therefore pilots from non-Schengen/non-EU should always only fly to an airport which is essentially one that serves commercial air traffic. That is the equivalent of saying that flights from outside the UK should never arrive in the UK at airfields with certificate of agreement (Annex C, for reference).
I agree – “potentially” would be a good qualifier. This is a “heads up” thread after all. For all we know, the UK may do a Customs deal with the EU, making it rank similarly to Norway or Switzerland i.e. nothing actually changes for a UK pilot.
I do think that if you are unable to get a positive ACK from a German airport, and you do need Customs, you must fly to one of the airports in the first list (Customs present “hrs AD”) regardless of what the airport or the AIP says. This is very important because email can fail in various ways (spam filters, etc).
In the UK, that Swiss pilot could not have been done IMHO because of the due diligence defence.
Germany is not special in this. The same could happen with France, Spain, etc. But for some reason there is no known history of “gratuitous” busts (basically, going after import tax on the aircraft because the Customs airport requirements were not complied with) in these other countries. The pilot may get fined, and this has happened.
This local copy has just come out, on the proposed UK future relationship with the EU. Aviation stuff is on page 20 onwards.
Nothing really surprising in there other than the UK is not proposing to remain in EASA. I guess the EU wants too high a price elsewhere for that one to be worth pursuing. However, this is very early days. But not including EASA membership in this initial position suggests that they UK will not end up with it at any later time.
Peter wrote:
But not including EASA membership in this initial position suggests that they UK will not end up with it at any later time.
The EU might demand that the UK be an EASA member in order to accept the UK demands.
That means accepting the jurisdiction of the ECJ which has already been ruled out.
alioth wrote:
That means accepting the jurisdiction of the ECJ which has already been ruled out.
Nothing is ruled out as long as negotiations are in progress…
The personnel licensing office of the Irish Aviation Authority intends to stop accepting applications for a change of state of licence issue from September this year.
Is that to stop UK people changing to Ireland i.e. an Irish issued EASA license?
One would think the Irish CAA would like the income. The Austrian CAA was most keen to get the money; they did the Easyjet pilots.
For a change of SOLI to the Republic of Ireland, yes. The deadline is to minimise the number of applications which cannot be finished before Implementation Period completion day, presently 11:00 pm on 31 Dec 2020.
