Customs Airfields in France

[dun0eag]

I would be grateful if someone could let me have a link to a list of customs airfields in France. I have spent ages trying to locate one, without success.

[tnowak]

On the Channel coast you have Le Touquet (2 hrs PNR),Abbeville (4 hrs PNR) and Cherbourg (no notice I believe)

A bit further inland you have Amiens (6 hrs PNR) and Rouen (6 hrs PNR)

Have you looked here:
http://www.sia.aviation-civile.gouv.fr/ ... aip_uk.htm
The VAC plates should have up to date information regarding customs hours of operation and PNR requirements.
Tony Nowak

[dun0eag]

Thanks Tony. I had explored the sia link you mentioned and discovered I could find out from each individual VAC plate but I was hoping to discover a list I could consult to save time when thinking about entering/leaving France rather than having to take much longer to visit each VAC.

Thanks again.

Alan

[Brian Hope]

Hi Alan, there is a list that dates back to December 2011 here:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/ ... 012.01.ENG

Whether it is absolutely current I cannot say, I cannot find anything later and this list does not include Dieppe or Toussus, both of which used to be Customs but were dropped when the French had their cutback of available fields, which suggests it may well be reasonably relevant.

[tnowak]

Alan,

I hadn't seen the list that Brian's link goes to, but a quick check of some airfields I am familiar with show the list is a bit out of date.

Some, like Angers, now require 48 hrs PNR which is a bit impractical for our sort of flying. I think it used to be 2hrs PNR a few years ago. Also, Albert Bray no longer have customs facilities

Where are you hoping to get customs? Remember, you also need to leave from a designated customs airfield for your return flight to UK.

Tony Nowak

[Donald Walker]

This is the latest update to the list of border crossings by France.

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/ ... 009.01.ENG

[Steve Brown]

Ref Remember, you also need to leave from a designated customs airfield for your return flight to UK.

I don't doubt this is so, having had to comply with this recently but does anyone know where this is written down in law.

After all we can leave the UK without leaving from a Customs attended airport and just have to land at foreign a Customs attended airport, so why can't one leave France from a non Customs field providing one lands at a UK Customs attended airport?

Is it unique to toing & froing between UK because we are not part of the Schengen Area/Agreement?

Such a waste of time, fuel and Co2 environmental emissions.

Is this on the Red Tape Challenge list ( which I accept is a UK not EU initiative)?

Thanks
Steve

[tnowak]

Steve,

The requirement is in the French AIP, section Gen 1.2-1, para. 1.2.1:

1.2.1 REGULATION CONCERNING CIVIL AIRCRAFT WHICH CARRY OUT
INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS
GENERAL
Any overflight of the French territory with or without stop, should be performed
in compliance with the Civil Aviation regulations applicable to this territory.
All aircraft arriving from abroad and entering the French territory should perform
the first landing on an airport provided with Customs, Police and
Sanitary controls. Also, all aircraft leaving the French territory abroad should
have their last stop in the French territory on such type of airport.

You can find the document here:
https://www.sia.aviation-civile.gouv.fr ... EN-1.2.pdf

Tony

[Steve Brown]

Perfect - thanks very much Tony
Regards
Steve

[davejnr69]

Only just noticed this post, but maybe some people might be interested in a little project I had a go at during the summer. I also found the list of airports that Nigel gives a link to. Using that data I created a Google Map so that I could visualise where all these fields were. Now I'm not saying my efforts were completely accurate, but the map might be of some use to you.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid= ... TMmf9vBlOM

Dave

[Donald Walker]

Thanks Dave. That is useful.