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Skopje LWSK

Landed today at Skopje - perfect example of airports I like - international airport, not much traffic, one runway, easy to land (vectoring for ILS), everything straight-forward "vacate first to the right via D and follow the marshaller at taxiway A", friendly people, Avgas available, close to the city (20 km), etc.

The only "issue" is that you have to announce your flight 24 hours in advance for slot coordination and you have to get approval by CAA to land (Registration certificate, ARC and insurance certificate must be sent). Slot coordination works around the clock whole week wich means you get the answer in 5 minutes while CAA works on weekdays 8 to 16 but you also get instant answer if you send requst during their working hours.

LDZA LDVA, Croatia

Slot coordination for an airport which has "not much traffic"....WTF?

I think a better term would be "PPR required". In my understanding, "slot" refers to a situation where they give you an ETA and you are supposed to maintain that plus or minus 15 minutes. At most places (like Skopje I would guess) it doesn't make any difference to ATC when exactly you arrive.

Anyway you call it, it's really just to feed a bureaucratic machine. Otherwise, why would Macedonia require this while Croatia doesn't?

If it were just an email to send with your details (like in Sarajevo for example), it wouldn't be much of a nuisance. But if they start asking for your documents, my acceptance limit is quickly reached. After all, it's Macedonia, not Kazhakstan...

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

What is the cost for landing/handling/avgas? Macedonia is an interesting destination.

Slot coordination for an airport which has "not much traffic"....WTF?

We manage to function without any advance notice at my base, with 650 ops/day. Its been gone through many times, but if you explained the concept of PPR (never mind "slots") for VFR traffic here, people would likely think its a joke.

Anyway you call it, it's really just to feed a bureaucratic machine.

Yes, they make up requirements that create more requirements.

I did smile at the idea of a 'Follow Me' car. That would beat looking at the airport diagram :-)

Hi Emir,

The only "issue" is that you have to announce your flight 24 hours in advance for slot coordination and you have to get approval by CAA to land (Registration certificate, ARC and insurance certificate must be sent). Slot coordination works around the clock whole week wich means you get the answer in 5 minutes while CAA works on weekdays 8 to 16 but you also get instant answer if you send requst during their working hours.

I heard about this, got introduced a few years ago for exactly the purpose Silvaire sais... no reason whatsoever than to feed some office geeks and to be important. It's a joke, but a bad one.

I've been to Skopje countless times while still with the airlines. It is a great place and a nice city too. Pity they have to introduce such hindering rules. I should have thought it is time for the Balkans to stop playing these games and abolish overflight permits and all that for private GA rather than introduce it.

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

Well, actually on the "overflight permits side", things have improved a lot in eastern Europe over the last few years. Macedonia certainly does not require it (Just a few weeks ago I crossed the entire FIR with no permit required); it's the airports that seem to require clearance most of the time.

Same for many other countries: Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Romania, Bulgaria, etc. all don't require overflight permits for private flights any longer. Remember, even Poland used to require the dreaded "flight notification" until just over 10 years ago! No more.

Usually, it's the airports that require some sort of PPR. But again, PPR can come in very different flavours...from "just a few details via email" to "send us all the aircraft and pilot's documents 5 working days in advance (via fax!) and then we will let you know - maybe." And then of course, there are countries which don't really publish the contacts for permit applications, or when they do, they will not elaborate requests unless made in their own language. In the latter cases, you will have to use a specialized permit agent.

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

I should have thought it is time for the Balkans to stop playing these games and abolish overflight permits and all that for private GA rather than introduce it.

Maybe they are using British airport management?

I heard that Tirana LATI is run by a British airport management company.

14 days' PPR last time I went there (2006 or 07).

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Inconsistency is the name of the game. I went there in 2006 with no PPR (for the airport) whatsoever and it was just fine. I did get a permit for their airspace at the time, but it was obtained in no time.

Mainz (EDFZ) & Egelsbach (EDFE), Germany

Well, one characteristic of the 3rd World is that you can do a lot of things and nobody cares - until you piss off somebody big and then the whole sky falls in on you.

The PPR for LATI was in their AIP.

The problem is that one can't pick and choose the better of (a) the AIP or (b) the airport, because if you get arrested they won't be interested in the AIP.

LATI was actually very communicative. Initially, as usual, a fax was needed to get through, and then it all went fine by email. Same with Skopje in 2012, but they did tell me about the CAA permissions. In the end I flew all the way Greece to Zagreb.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Anyone recent update on LWSK? Intent to stop for a night while ferrying from Finland to Cyprus.

Best regards

LPSR, Portugal
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