Assuming the absence of published opening hours, how does one know then it is “too dark”?
There can be a national law, or is something in SERA?
The obvious case is a “farm strip”. A lot of them have some sort of DIY lighting.
Peter, I think as per SERA + AIP
Peter wrote:
And if there is no AIP entry?If it is SERA, how does this work?
Peter, I meant the country AIP, not the airfield one, sorry.
Peter wrote:
Assuming the absence of published opening hours, how does one know then it is “too dark”?
If there are no published hours at all and the airfield isn’t PNR/PPR then it should be available H24. Somewhat surprisingly I can’t find any regulation actually demanding runway lights for night ops, so in practise it us up to pilot judgement.
Airborne_Again wrote:
Somewhat surprisingly I can’t find any regulation actually demanding runway lights for night ops, so in practise it us up to pilot judgement.
Except in the countries where night VFR cross country is not allowed and night VFR is allowed only in pattern of airports designated for operations after SS. So by definition you can’t find yourself in position trying to land to VFR only airport after SS.
Yes there is a gap in AD regulation when SERA did come with NVFR:
Microlights, homebuilts…are not allowed to fly after SS+30, so the user case is really small
In France, installation of nav aids, runway markings, paints, lights is subject to NAA approval and field inspection by AD inspectors even restricted grass airfields or private aerodromes…my ACB got approval for installation of these (night PPL training for members only)
Somewhat surprisingly I can’t find any regulation actually demanding runway lights for night ops, so in practise it us up to pilot judgement.
Indeed, there is nothing that in SERA/NCO prevents one from departing or landing after SS+30 without any lights, in same fashion, there is no legal requirement to switch PCL = ON when flying at “night approved aerodrome”, even better, there is no legal requirement for a pilot to open their eyes during takeoff on sunny CAVOK 
PS: I saw one fellow US Mooney pilot who operate Night IFR with Synthetic-Vision and NVG goggles in Florida, he is ex-Marines
Emir wrote:
So by definition you can’t find yourself in position trying to land to VFR only airport after SS.
Make it “after ECET”, then I agree. 
In the US, much is covered by regulation. Night is defined in 1.1 as:
Night means the time between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight, as published in the Air Almanac, converted to local time.
In most of the US other than Alaska, night begins roughly at a half hour after sunset. Civil twilight is when the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon and one can still read a news paper in the ambient light for much of that time between sunset and night. So before the end of civil twilight, obstacles may be seen without lighting.
Of course there is always 91.13 Careless or reckless operation.
Approaches are often prohibited at night, usually when the final approach path is not clear of obstacles on a 20 to 1 slope. There are other regulations that apply to carrying passengers, after 1 hour past sunset (dark night), pilots must have accomplished three takeoffs and landings to a full stop during the last 90 days during the
Ibra wrote:
Microlights, homebuilts…are not allowed to fly after SS+30, so the user case is really small
I’m not sure if the above is accurate, the homebuilt I fly is night approved and all other RVs built over here in the past 10 years are as well.
If microlight = 600 LSA ultralight then many factory built types are advertised as EASA night VFR approved
