I’ve just got back. After so many trips on French destinations, I had never been there, although it was planned many times as a diversion.
The AIP says immigration and customer are available during AD opening hours, without any PN, which is very rare for N France these days. However there is a “48hr PPR” bit in the AIP, mentioned here but fortunately the airport seems to just disregard that, and responds affirmatively by immediate email.
I will post some more, and photos, as soon as I get a chance to sort them out 
Here is more info.
The strange “48hr PN in the AIP” is not evidently being operated. You just email them and you get back an email right away. So off I went, IFR this time due to some cloud around, filed for FL090. The BKN013 actually lasted for quite a bit longer
LFQQ 130500Z 1306/1412 24010KT CAVOK PROB30 TEMPO 1306/1308 BKN013 BECMG 1318/1320 VRB03KT BECMG 1401/1404 2000 BR
This shows the filed route and the Eurocontrol tracking
The Flightaware track:
It could not be a simpler flight. Lille is the unit people talk to when flying to Le Touquet (although for purely VFR one can go straight from Shoreham to Le T tower there) and they do ILS vectoring for Lille airport also.
Enroute wx was perfect
France
Short final
Parked up, the van arrived immediately. I needed a few mins so they went to see a PC12 which had just landed
Taxi into town, €25
There was some sort of festival, with these huge green figures all the way down one of the main streets
The architecture is always interesting in these old French cities
I walked to the citadel
The walls are crumbling
One cannot go inside, unfortunately
Back in town, a good number of posh (and pricey) chocolate shops, so I brought back the usual for the airport fire and tower crews
Good to see the Ukrainian flag
She looks tough!
On the way back out through the airport, one gets the xray checks, but the lady from the handlers escorted me along a different route from the airline passengers, so it was quick. Nothing to pay; they will email the invoice, which they did the same evening. Reminded me of Pontoise which took a year I did check they accept CC details over the phone so one doesn’t get the foreign payment hit paying from a UK bank. EuroGA leaflets left, of course
They will be building a new GA terminal, apparently.
One of the most friendly and well organised airports I have been to.
The airport effortlessly mixes GA with airline traffic. I got 3 mins’ delay on departure, behind a departing 737.
An uneventful flight back, this time FL070.
Lille handed me to “London 124.6” which is the usual silent discarding of one’s IFR clearance Obviously, London Control didn’t want to deal with traffic at FL070 especially as it is OCAS at the UK airspace border (Class A base FL075). London Info was busy with traffic all over the place, all the way to Wales, so as usual I didn’t bother calling them, retained the IFR squawk all the way home (which I think incidentally prevents the CAIT software detecting an infringement ) and descended to stay below CAS. This shows the filed route and the Eurocontrol tracking
and this is Flightware
EuroGA airport database report with cost details. The price is fine; you spend in on taxis…
I think Lille would be a great destination for meet-ups. Most of N France is now 24hr/48hr PN, with the great exception of Le Touquet which is managing to hang in there, prob99 due to Macron having a house in the town. Cherbourg and Caen are now practically lost.
Nice write up and brilliant city to visit, September 3rd/4th is the date for Lille braderie but unlikely to work a EuroGA fly-in !
Your experience on how organised the airport tie out with mine, I probably landed there 15 times while commuting from London to Paris (1h TGV with last one at 9pm), the airport has reasonable hours, allow weather flying and every time it was seamless: direct flight with controllers at 6kft-7kft & easy in/out with handling
On their 48h PN, while ago one ex-EuroGA flyer (no longer post here) got into troubles in Beauvais on a late evening flight to the UK, not sure what was the issue, he called Lille who accommodated his PN request, he landed spent 1min in Charlie parking, then was told it’s ok to fly straight to North Weald…
PS: while ago when parking Charlie had work in progress, the parking in Delta at night would cost an extra 80€ for night marshalling service (they send “follow me car” before they send “handling van”)
Have to agree with Lille. Went there today, and was great service. The lady who works for them is outrageously so good-looking.
