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Operating to the airport of any foreign country requires securing a landing permit from the country’s civil aviation authority. The issuing requirements vary from country to another, based on local regulations, the volume of traffic their airports receive and the type of flight. We will cover the most basic requirements for obtaining landing permits in this brief primer. Purpose of Flight If the aircraft is being operated privately, then some countries don’t require the issuance of a landing permit, such as foreign private aircraft operating to the EU. Filing a prior flight plan is sufficient. However, if the aircraft is flown commercially as charter for remuneration, then securing a landing permit is a must. Morocco is among the countries that don’t require a landing permit for private flights, but require it for charter. Many other countries around the world don’t differentiate based on the purpose of the flight and require a prior landing permit for both types of flight, private and charter. Purpose of Landing The requirements vary based on the purpose of landing, whether it is a technical landing for refueling or crew rest, or a traffic landing with passengers or cargo inbound to their territory or outbound from it. Normally, applications for landing permits for technical stops are easier and faster compared to the full traffic landing permit applications. However, there are some countries that still require local third party approval even for technical landing permits, such as Togo, which requires a confirmation from the aviation fuel supplier to the civil aviation authority that fuel has been booked and confirmed for the mentioned flight. Local Sponsor Most countries require the clear specification of the local party receiving the flight and responsible for it (commonly known as the 'sponsor') in the permit application. The name of the company, contact, address and contact numbers are sufficient in some countries. This local sponsor must expect a call from the local civil aviation authority requesting a confirmation and some information about the flight. The local contact alone is not sufficient for some countries, they further request an official letter signed and stamped on the company letterhead addressed to the country’s civil aviation authority, clearly confirming their responsibility for the flight and specifying the full flight details. Some countries accept the letter in English (Qatar), while others require it in the local language (Iran). Ground handling and Slots Due to the limited capacity of the airport and the ground handling company, some countries make the confirmation of the ground handling, slots and parking a prior condition for the issuance of the landing permit. Oman for example - the Public Authority of Civil Aviation - doesn’t issue landing permits for any aircraft before the approval of Oman Aviation Services and the Slot Coordination office. Slot and parking confirmation are also a condition for the issuance of landing permit in Thailand, while mentioning a recognized ground handling agent name in the application is a condition for landing permit approval in Malaysia. When to Apply Landing permit applications must be submitted within the regulatory lead time specified by the country’s regulations. The lead time is different from one country to another. Turkmenistan for example requires a minimum of five days, as they require military approval before issuing the permit. India specifies different lead times based on the purpose of the landing and the origin of the flight. Technical stop landing permits can be applied for 24 hours prior to the flight, or 72 hours if the flight is originating from what India calls PRC countries: i.e. Afghanistan, China, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan and Somalia. Traffic landing permits for India require 72 hours, unless flight is originating from PRC countries, then seven working days are required. Same day landing permit applications are not easy to secure, even if the most flexible countries, unless applied for in the morning, which gives the civil aviation authority some time to consider the application. How to Apply Countries follow different methods in the way the landing permit application must be made:
Direct or through an Agent? Whilst there are countries allowing Operators to apply directly for the landing permit, others require the appointment of a local representative. Many local agents refuse to secure the landing permit unless they take care of the handling arrangements as well, due to the legal obligation imposed on them to settle the civil aviation fees and airport fees to the relevant authorities in case the aircraft operator fails to settle them. Agents from Egypt, Jordan, Sudan, Pakistan and India consistently follow this path. Required Documents If many countries allow overflight permit applications to be processed and approved by a simple permit application (including some basic information), most of the civil aviation authorities require a set of documents to be attached to the landing permit applications. While many CAAs require the operator and aircraft documents (AOC, Certificate of Registration COR, Certificate of Airworthiness COA, Airworthiness Review Certificate, Noise Certificate and Insurance Certificate matching the local regulation requirements in term of coverage and liability), there are still some further required documents, like a copy of the charter agreement between the airline and the charterer. This brief highlights some of the major requirements of the various civil aviation authorities around the world when considering the approval of private and charter flight landing permits. While there are many similarities in the information and documents that must be provided to the CAA, there are still some requirements that are particular to each one - requirements that may block or delay the landing permit approval process and which could result in the denial or delay of the flight. Appointing an expert flight support permit agent to process your landing permit applications allows you to benefit from their accumulated experience and continuously updated knowledge. Dr. Adnan Branbo is the Chief Executive Officer of iJET, a flight support service provider based in Malta and Dubai, with offices and representatives in Russia, India, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Madagascar. iJET services include over-flight and landing permits, credit ground handling arrangements, and aviation fuel at competitive prices. Adnan can be reached at: adnan@iJET.aero
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