Looking for Input on recommended French GA Airports for technical stops for e.g. from Germany to Spain
Requirements: IFR Approach, AVGAS, wide opening hours
Preferably: H24 Self-Service Refuelling, H24 Aerodrome or PCL.
Looking forward to your recommendations!
In North-Eastern Germany I can recommend in return:
EDBN Neubrandenburg-Trollenhagen
Open from 9-19 local
big asphalt runway, former military airport
AVGAS, JET-A1
RNP
Hangar Space
Immigration/Customs is organized easily on request
cheap
EDHL Lübeck
ILS+RNP
wide opening times
all fuels
big runway
close by city and baltic sea coast
relatively cheap
For France, it is actually easier to turn it the other way around (i.e. which ones are to be avoided), because most of them are just fine.
In terms of fees, the only ones to really avoid (as even a fuel stop is over 100 Euros, or because it requires a slot), in addition to the major Paris airports, are:
Marseille
Nice
Nantes (unless using aeroclub)
Toulouse-Blagnac (unless self-handling)
Bordeaux
Lyon (St. Exupéry)
Bale-Mulhouse
Hyéres
Lille
All the other IFR airports in the country are fine. You just want to make sure that:
You’ ll find a lot of tips here. Otherwise, if you let us know your approximate route, you’ll soon get a few tips for good fuel-stop IFR airports.
Toulouse-Blagnac (unless self-handling)
I thought I’d seen on here that Blagnac was OK, with no high handling fees, as long as you don’t mind a fair bit of a walk?
Matters to me because Toulouse will (if all goes well) be one of my “going somewhere” destinations. The alternative is Lasbordes LFCL. Apart from being VFR only, it is also completely deserted, despite being home to about a dozen aeroclubs. I scouted it out last time I was there (by car). There’s a small ramp for visiting aircraft, but no information about how to use it, nor how to re-enter airside. So Blagnac would definitely be a lot better, if the price is reasonable. Not to mention the cool-factor of landing alongside the Airbus factory!
Looking for Input on recommended French GA Airports for technical stops for e.g. from Germany to Spain, Requirements: IFR Approach, AVGAS, wide opening hours, Preferably: H24 Self-Service Refuelling, H24 Aerodrome or PCL.
As said above, it’s easy if you go for “regional IFR places”, to add a bit:
The problem with these H24 IFR airports: is no ATS (likely “FR only” with blind calls), no OPS, no RFFS, no ACB…which also means the gate is closed unless you know the way out or very familiar with the place, plus getting taxi & food & accommodation after 9pm in France is a real hassle, so plan ahead for this !
AFAIK, there are “no closure times” for airports in France? the only two airports with closing hours are Toussus “Night + IFR” (close at 2200LT) and Quiberon “day VFR” (close before SS+30 in summer at 1900LT), everything else is open H24 with Night or SS+30 without Night
Ignoring, COHOR airports: Nantes, Orly, Lille… which have handling, slots and maybe explicit operation times
Not really a report, but a story about Lisbon.
I didn’t do most of the pre-flight, but if you go to Lisbon, prefer Caiscais that is nice and easy for GA and small jets. I had to go to LPPT that time and it was not only a rip-off (1 night, 3 pax on departure on a CJ1 → 3000€), we also had to wait for:
- 2 hour for the fuel at arrival (to avoid a missed slot on the departure)
-15 minutes after clearance on departure, engine running, so that an operator come by car to verify that we indeed left the parking correctly.
I pass on a completely out of spec approach clearance on ILS02: We were heading south at 3000ft mostly toward the IAP at 250kn, and at half a mile from the runway axe, the ATC gave us “right turn 340 cleared ILS”. my captain bet they would never do that, I was prepare somehow… Fortunately we were empty and did a 80° banked turn to intercept, slight overshoot and was then after asked to reduce to minimum speed, but not to low as a B737 was in sequence… I don’t know if they do that on liners or only on jets.
On the departure (to Cannes), we have been directed as far as south Spain coast (not far from Faro, 30’ route offset to south ease), quite an amount of fuel…
On the topic of Cascais: have you gone there in recent years? If you look at the comments in Skydemon, it shows several people reporting 300 Euros for an SEP.
Then a few others reporting nothing of concern regarding the fees. Strange.
Anyway, it seems that this is a GA-only airport which has priced out GA. At least the lower end of GA. Much like Le Bourget.
If true, then there is absolutely no place to land an SEP IFR for accebtable money in the greater Lisbon area.
Then again, they know that anybody going to Lisbon from Central Europe will have spent several thousands in aircraft costs to get there, so that they will be inclined to just pay 300 Euros for airport fees and get on with it… anyway, it’s a pity.
Adding something about Belgium, not my country but I experienced 3 IFR airports and in all cases it has been really good and no mandatory handling, keeping fees acceptable.
EBOS – Ostend
ILS and RNP on both runways, GA apron with nice FBO (where you pay the landing fee) and pilot lounge, nice restaurant next to it.
EBKT – Kortrijk
Non controlled airfield with RNP approaches. Smooth experience landing IFR with VFR traffic instructed to orbit to give way to me.
Still waiting for the bill (after months), wonder if it will ever come.
EBAW – Antwerp
ILS on one runway, RNP on the other and VOR on both.
It’s a base for TUI but welcoming for GA. Register your flight online and you get the bill in your email the day after.
You have to go through security at the main terminal to go back to your aircraft.
I think the 3 other civil (or mixed) IFR fields are EBBR (Brussels), EBCI (Charleroi) and EBLG (Liege), no clue whether they are good for GA. I might have missed some others.
Non controlled airfield….with VFR traffic instructed to orbit
That does not add up, hein? but I see what you mean 
I really like EBKT, in some imaginary world that is how GA airport would looks like 
Let’s say… the guy on the radio (Information only) informed the VFR traffic that I was on the IFR approach and (strongly) recommended them to orbit to avoid a lot of things to go bananas 😃
Like your imaginary world!
NicoKM wrote:
EBAW – Antwerp
You have to go through security at the main terminal to go back to your aircraft.
And this is not a problem. I went through that security check, not only with water, but with an electric scooter, an electric bike, etc.
