In most countries boarder control and customs control are different authorities which makes sense because the qualification required for each is a very different one. Checking a passport, a wanted list etc. is fairly easy. Knowing exactly what is permitted to import and how to treat certain goods, is much more involved.
I assume that the customs branch happens to be available during the times at this place whereas an immigration officer is not.
In Germany, you can become a border control officer (“Hilfspolizist”) by completing a quick training. You can then perform your own border controls which you have to document for the Federal Police. Customs handling must be performed by officers of the division. This is why a lot of airfields have non-Schengen but fewer and fewer non-EU.
Coming from a non-Schengen EU-country (like the UK), the solution would be to land at any Schengen-field with immigration and customs service (PNR or not and preferably the cheapest available) and then continue to the destination airfield of your choosing within Schengen.
Is this deliberate (anti-UK) or some job creation/protection scheme?
France is not anti-UK. It is the UK that is anti-Schengen.
If the UK joined Schengen, you would no longer have any problems.
A couple of years ago there was a long list of airports that lost their port of entry status. I guess this is a cost-cutting measure.
Currently there is also a debate in France now about all of the regional airports that the regions have to subsidise to keep afloat because they are not financially viable. Some of these airports are so close to oneanother that it does not make sense to maintain both. Examples are Dijon/Dole, Bergerac/Perigueux. Others like Reims-Vatry have 0 traffic.
The regions also subsidise the air carriers for them to serve the airport. Ryanair benefits quite a bit from such measures. I am sure that other regional airlines like Hop and SkyBe also benefit from this.
