I’m planning a trip to Reims for a couple of days starting this Sunday.
It’s a fairly simple route, coasting in just south of LFAT and then direct to LFQA. Normally I’d stop at Albert Bray for customs. It’s a great airfield for customs stops as it’s always quiet and therefore is very efficient to be in and out quickly. The trouble is, they are closed on Sundays, so I’m looking for somewhere else. LFAT is a contender, but I’ve been there loads and it can be quite busy at weekends so might not be such a quick stop. Calais is FR only on Sundays too, which is no good for me. Plus it’s good to try somewhere new, right?
Does anyone have any suggestions for another airfield that I could clear customs in that might suit? Doesn’t need to have any facilities or anything, the perfect place would be somewhere that is efficient. Can’t be FR-only.
Not much possibilities. On weekends bow, most towers/AFIS are closed, so French only.
That leaves you Lille LFQQ or Beauvais LFOB.
NicR wrote:
LFAT is a contender, but I’ve been there loads and it can be quite busy at weekends so might not be such a quick stop.
I was there yesterday (Saturday) when almost the entire apron was full and I did not experience any delays on the ground. London Control in conjunction with Lille Approach did have to give me a slightly longer route (approx. 5 mins) as I was number 3 for the RNP 31 approach but otherwise no delays.
Also, you could consider EBKT (Kortrijk) which gives you fast turnaround times as the airport is not very busy but you will have to weigh that vs the slightly increased distance.
Maybe late but Chalons LFOK?
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I think I’m going to just bite the bullet and go back to LFAT, as it’s directly on route and that’s probably worth paying a higher price for the time saving.
All being well, I hope to fly out this Sunday and come back on Tuesday. I just have to hope the weather plays ball (currently PROB30 thunderstorms forecast for the UK on Tuesday) and the UK Gov doesn’t introduce a quarantine for arrivals from France….
I’ll post a trip report here if I succeed!
Did you make it to Reims after all @NicR? There’s some advice on champagne cellar tours, plus recommended hotels and restaurants in a recent article in Decanter magazine, and another from 2018
@Capitaine yes I did. We cleared customs at LFAT outbound and inbound and it was a breeze.
We organised a full day champagne tour using this company https://www.sparkling-tour.com/en/home/ and I would highly recommend them. We had a fantastic day touring the vineyards and drinking lots of nice champagne. We flew in the Sportcruiser so didn’t have much available weight to bring back many bottles, but the tour guide arranged shipping direct to our house. Of course, that was pre-brexit so the shipping was quite affordable. Now, with the custom fees payable it wouldn’t really be worth it.
Thanks for the update 
it’s always nice when there’s a happy ending
