Malibuflyer wrote:
There doesn’t seem to be a clear definition on what a “technical stop” really is.
I’d imagine that a technical stop, being the second freedom of the air, is defined somewhere at ICAO.
I have done few tech stops in CIs for cheap fuel on the way to south of France, maybe 7 times, I was thinking about one recently when France blocked UK arrivals 
Sometimes PIC has to go and see customs (if someone insists on it), sometimes they don’t give a hoot about it, you just pay a landing fee or they send an invoice…you still expected to send GAR/GENDEC details with proper PNR just like your are doing a normal landing
Pax can stay in the aircraft (I have a lazy wife )
It does not work in Spain in ANEA airports, you can’t just land and stretch your leg on the taxiway even without needing fuel, you have to take an expensive taxi car ride to the terminal and pay for it !
A tech stop, in the context relevant to GA, is one which sidesteps the customs/immigration requirements. No occupant change, IOW.
So, to use an example of someone who had been testing this process, flying Stuttgart – Belgrade – Iraklion – Alexandria – El Gouna. Customs clearance at Alexandria is unavoidable, but it was, IIRC, possible to avoid it by declaring a “tech stop” at Belgrade and Iraklion. This is not actually a good example because all these airports have C+I but with a PN, possibly a long PN, but a tech stop means you don’t have to comply with it.
A better example would be flying Portoroz – Samos via a fuel stop at Skopje. That is an intra-schengen flight if done direct, and that can save considerable hassle at Samos. But if you stop in Macedonia, the Greeks want the full process. The Macedonan naming dispute doesn’t help relations So a tech stop at Skopje would be nice. Whether anybody ever managed it I don’t know. I reckon Portoroz police would be OK with it but I very much doubt the Greek police would.
But, as discussed in the main tech stop thread now try doing this at some airfield which doesn’t have C+I at all. It simply does not work. The police will go after you.
This thread has gone off topic of tech stops for coronavirus and I will merge it in due course.
It may not get you off the hook for C+I requirements, but I am sure doing a stop witout going landside gets you off the hook from any “COVID requirement” as long as you have the Little John?
Yes.
But it’s not a “tech stop”. It is just a stop for fuel without invoking the CV19 quarantine.
Peter wrote:
I reckon Portoroz police would be OK with it but I very much doubt the Greek police would.
Anyhow, you have to land to port of entry airport in Greece, so it doesn’t matter wether you landed somewhere on your way.
BTW I tested it the opposite way – it wasn’t about the immigration but for the custom purposes. I took off in Greece, landed at LQSA, refueled and continued to Croatia. Since it was considered as technical landing, customs didn’t object (arriving from Greece, another EU member like Croatia) and immigration anyhow applied since Croatia is not in Schengen.
Peter wrote:
it is just a stop for fuel without invoking the CV19 quarantine.
Just fill up C+I forms with last country “you takeoff from” (as in your FPL/GAR) and fill up CV19/PHE forms with the last country “you were in”, job done !
You can fill “inbound from UK” in the PIC/PAX locator CV19 form and Aosta LIMW as departure in your FPL/GAR 
loco wrote:
I’d imagine that a technical stop, being the second freedom of the air, is defined somewhere at ICAO.
The ICAO convention doesn’t use the term technical stop, but the term “stop for non-traffic purposes” which is defined as “a landing for any purpose other than taking on or discharging passengers, cargo or mail.”
I’ve looked at Annex 9 (Facilitation) and there is no mention that stops for non-traffic purposes are exempt from border controls. Indeed, paragraph 2.42 states (my italics): “In the case of aircraft either in transit non-stop or stopping for non-traffic purposes, the Contracting State concerned shall not require more advance notice than is required by the air traffic control services and by interested border control agencies.”
Anyhow, you have to land to port of entry airport in Greece, so it doesn’t matter wether you landed somewhere on your way.
There is/was actually an additional procedure on departure from Greece to a non EU destination, costing €40 for the customs officer “taxi fare” but indeed this is a detail…
Ibra wrote:
but I am sure doing a stop witout going landside gets you off the hook from any “COVID requirement” as long as you have the Little John?
I guess that depends on a) your final destination country and b) what you call “landslide”: E.g. in Germany they would take it as a stop in the country even if you only visit the international side of the terminal for transit without immigrating in that country. If, however, you stay in (or close to) the airplane while refueling and take off again, I don’t see why it should be treated differently from transiting through Switzerland in your car w/o making a stop.
