To explain in a bit more detail, If an airfield is closed, and by that I mean outside it’s hours of operation, what happens to the airspace under it’s authority?
On a journey that is becoming more frequent for me, we route over the Isle of Man late at night, when it is closed. After making a couple of calls on their approach frequency and determining that they are definitely not there, I have thus far continued through their airspace, but I am struggling now to find whether this is actually correct.
Anyone know any better?
Here in the US, some Class D airspace and Surface E airspace have hours of operation. Outside of the hours of operation, the airspace reverts to class G.
In The Netherlands, we have class C airspace around airports and also around militairy airfields. The fact that the militairy has gone home and nobody is there at the airfield does not do anything to the class C airspace. The only thing you do (after not hearing back on the tower frequency) is to ask crossing permission from Dutch Mil (the area / FIR controller) to cross. So, airport might be closed, airspace might still be there.
Generally speaking, if the airspace classification changes depending on airport operation, this would normally be indicated in the AIP (ENR 2).
In Czech Republic, TMA LKKV and part of TMA LKVO revert from class D to class E outside the operating hours, which is announced over ATIS. The tower frequency may still be manned, but would revert from ATC to FIS.
Military CTRs in The Netherlands are class D wef 14-11-2013
In south Sweden the lower side of the class C TMA gets raised from 1500ft to the needs of ESMS (larger airport in the region). The rest of the airspace becomes class G.
>Generally speaking, if the airspace classification changes depending on airport operation, this would normally be indicated in the AIP (ENR 2).
This is the correct answer to your question.
You need to check the AIP to see if the airspace reverts to some other class at certain times. If it doesn’t then you need permission to enter. Of course the frequency then should be manned, but if someone has walked away for some reason……
