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Air Navigation Services Terminal Charges in Germany

After recent trip to Dresden for our fly-in I received invoice from Deutche Flugsicherung for Air Navigation Services Terminal Charges. It’s not much (15,50€ – 15,28 for DFS and 0,22 for DWD) but I thought that aircraft under 2 tons MTOW were exempted. However, I got explanation that this is in force since January 2010. According to German AIP (GEN 4.2-8) it’s applicable for aircraft landing and departing at Berlin (Tegel, Schönefeld), Bremen, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Erfurt-Weimar, Frankfurt/Main, Hamburg, Hannover, Köln/Bonn, Leipzig/Halle, München, Münster/Osnabrück, Nürnberg, Saarbrücken and Stuttgart Airports.

LDZA LDVA, Croatia

The exemption is only for route charges. These are ATC fees for using the airport and apply when flying to two handfuls of bigger airports in Germany, VFR or IFR. That has been the case for decades.

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

Yes, and if I fly approaches abroad I get an invoice from Eurocontrol every now and then.

boscomantico wrote:

That has been the case for decades.

Obviously not for decades if it’s in force from Januray 2010.

LDZA LDVA, Croatia

Well, I have been paying these charges ever since (long before 2010).
Maybe the rate has changed in 2010 or something, but nothing fundamentally.

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

Yes, I remember paying approach fees to EDMA during my IFR training – in 2002.

boscomantico wrote:

The exemption is only for route charges. These are ATC fees for using the airport and apply when flying to two handfuls of bigger airports in Germany, VFR or IFR. That has been the case for decades.

An excerpt from a correspondence with an European IFR organization: Well yes except for now. After doing my due diligence have found out why those airports charge those fees;

Looking through the information you sent me regarding DFS fees. It states that these fees apply to the following airports only:

“1. General
1.1 Charges are levied for the provision of Air Navigation Services for arriving and departing aircraft at the airports of Berlin (Tegel, Schönefeld), Bremen, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Erfurt, Frankfurt/Main, Hamburg, Hannover, Köln/Bonn, Leipzig/Halle, München, Münster/ Osnabrück, Nürnberg, Saarbrücken, and Stuttgart.”

In addition:

“The unit rate for terminal navigation for 2017 is: 130.59 Euro subject to Value Added Tax of 19% at present.
Previous regulations for VFR flights and for aircraft weighing less than 2 tonnes will no longer apply after 1 January 2010.

Examples of terminal navigation charges in 2017:
Type: Ikarus C42 / MTOW: 0.450 t / charge: EUR 5.22
Type: Cessna C 172 / MTOW: 1.157 t / charge: EUR 9.14
Type: LR 35 / MTOW: 8.3 t / charge: EUR 36.57
Type: A320 / MTOW: 73.5 t / charge: EUR 171.07"

So it appears that these are the towers that are run by DFS.

Boscolo that is the part of your statement that is correct.

However, it is incorrect, in that these charges are starting to be applied to other smaller more GA airports like EDMS. While there too the charges are insignificant compared to my wealth***, I feel that it is inappropriate on principle for to be charging any such fees. Because as they told me it was a communication fee with Brussels yet on the bill its listed as an IFR approach fee. As I had warned everyone earlier that they are no longer at only those “larger airports” as in the ones run by DFS. Which by the way charges for both IFR AND VFR arrival communication fees.

My beef is that with Straubing, even if I cancel my IFR flight plan 2 countries over and proceed VFR the rest of the way and it can be as far as 300 NM, and do a normal VFR flight planned type approach (Downwind Base final) in VFR conditions not using the GPS approach, they still insist I pay them an IFR approach fee which I have already stated it is not. They havent figured out that they are instituting an IFR enroute fee cause it can only be called that and nothing else. Some brainiac sold them this computer system and told them they can cash in on all those sneaky guys flying IFR and cancelling at the last minute to avoid the IFR approach fee. A fee which all of us near do wells * scuff at but which adds approximately 25% to the cost of landing. Still chicken feed when comparing a flight to a Fraport airport in Greece.

Just wanted to clarify that not only larger DFS airports are starting to charge enroute IFR flight planned Communication fees but also at the airport of destination such smaller airports not run by DFS, such as EDMS.

* In my last correspondence concerning this matter on Euro GA I was lambasted for being cheap in even questioning such an inexpensive charge. So for all you who have not been involved in that discussion and before it comes up again. I just want to make may financial position on the food chain known so that it is understood that it is not because I cant afford to fly and that any additional pfenning more will cause me to sell my plane and start flying RC airplanes.

KHTO, LHTL

Alexis wrote:

Yes, I remember paying approach fees to EDMA during my IFR training – in 2002.

It clearly states in most airport info directories that an Instrument approach whether practice or not will be charged as an approach. An Approach starts at the IAP. Some airports charge some dont depends on the airport and what they have decided at the airports governing body.

KHTO, LHTL

Alexis wrote:

Yes, and if I fly approaches abroad I get an invoice from Eurocontrol every now and then.

If would stop sounding so professional maybe they would realize your only flying a Cirrus and not a Pilatus.

KHTO, LHTL

I can decide if I want to accept their fees. If I don’t – I don’t fly there.

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