PIREPs by Achim

Very busy international airport with excellent efficiency. Virtually always CAT I with flat terrain and apart from the monopolist fuel supplier, very quick turnaround. The handling company I use is handling@i-jets.com who used to be Air Pink and before that the airport company. Total fees for a 3.4t aircraft and technical landing around 70 €.

Very convenient airport, very accessible and surprisingly cheap. One of the best GA assets in Europe. Slots are required for IFR during the season. The arrival and departure procedures should be studied well as it is a noise sensitive densely populated area. Best to use Uber for airport transfer. The FBO is very posh...

Nice airfield, very straightforward and with ample space. Thanks to a local sponsor who operates a jet, the runway was recently extended and is now fully asphalt. Unfortunately, there is no border control, so it can only be used to/from Schengen.

One of my favorite places in the US. Very attractive costs for super expensive Boston (try going to Bedford, you might not want your airplane back once you see the fee) and Falcon FBO is a fantastic FBO, incredibly accommodating. It's the opposite of current money grabbing FBO trend in the US. Only caveat: in winter, the runways often do not get plowed and turn into skating rinks which effectively closes the airport for weeks.

Indispensable stop on the North Atlantic route, always accessible with CAT I (even if the TAF is half a page long) and great and efficient service by Woodard. Been going there for many years. One tip: when making the CANPASS arrival notice by phone, ask for a reference number and keep it. Last time they could not find our record and we were confined in the plane for 45min until it was resolved.

Always accessible (as opposed to Nuuk who no longer welcome GA) and very quick turnaround times with reasonable fees. The weather is usually better than the forecast and the staff are very helpful. After only using it as a fuel stop for years, we stayed 2 nights this time to explore the area which was magnificent. Southern Greenland is a full recommendation and BGBW is great. Supposedly it will close down in 2026 in favor of a new airport closer to the actual settlements. So make sure to visit this living piece of WW2 history before it's too late!

Great airport for a fuel stop, very efficient and accessible. Been there many times over the years and the turnaround is always very fast with the fuel truck arriving immediately on shutdown and invoice ready by the time you arrive at the FBO. The free drinks and cookies are great, a lot of very tasty Scottish delights. Cost for a 3.4t aircraft about 140 GBP.

It's not only a very expensive airport, the service is has become pretty poor. I have landed twice there in July and the Reyjkavik FBO which used to be the new kid in town is now the only FBO. First time we were "forgotten" and waited for 20min for transportation and the second time they claimed we had not sent a request and Gendec before which we did (and even had email exchanges) but still had to fill out the Gendec form manually again (instead of the FBO fetching the printout from the office). Overnight stay with a 3.4t airplane 500 € total cost. I hope that another FBO will open soon and competition will make sure service is restored to an acceptable level.

Public airfield with fixed opening times, Jet, AVGAS, Mogas, a nice Italian restaurant and border police controls upon request. Can get bumpy with southerly winds (Foehn). Most of the time, it has VMC when the surrounding weather is poor.

Straightforward, no PPR, etc. For 3.4 t €120, and each additional day €60. Getting a taxi is a challenge; for the return we simply asked locals in town to drive us—no problem. Rental car through the Vito Sansone gas station.

Good airport. Requests now go to apron.comiso@aeroporto.catania.it and handling.comiso@aeroporto.catania.it. Friendly communication; procedures are professional and efficient. Price for 3 nights with a 3.4 t aircraft: €230 all-in. Jet fuel €1.88/l with WFS. Rental car with Hertz was quick and hassle-free.

For a large city, very inexpensive and convenient; especially nice that handling is not mandatory. A 3.5 t aircraft is only marginally more expensive than a 172. Be sure to bring chocks and a high-visibility vest. A pilot license is required for access. Jet A-1 must be requested by phone at +32 475 44 97 79; price is quite high, about €2/l.

Quick response to request (PPR not required), airport very straightforward and efficient. 4 t aircraft for a short stay €150. According to on-site staff, there is always sufficient space for smaller GA aircraft.

PPR and handling via Medavia with quick response. The airport is very large with long distances. Handling for a 4 t aircraft €200, €25 for PPR, €15 parking per day, and €11 airport fees. Some additional fees such as PAX transport and PAX fees had to be negotiated away (they keep trying). Jet fuel tax-free €0.95/l with a wait.

5 days with a TBM (3.4 t), total €156. Arrival and departure with an IFR flight plan change were absolutely trouble-free. Approach in poor weather via the Pisa ILS is possible; for departure the terrain to the east is flat, so a departure is feasible even with a ceiling of 500 ft AGL. Handling after prior notification via web form was straightforward and quick. AVIS rental car handed over directly at the terminal for an extra €100 (€50 per transaction). Runway and apron condition very good, AFIS professional.

Three days IFR in a TBM for a total of 888 SEK, payment upon receipt of invoice. No handling required for < 3.5 t, only slot coordination by the FBO, for which there is no separate charge. New tram line right at the FBO. Unbeatable for a centrally located capital city airport!

Arrived IFR for 24 h with 3.4 t without prior notice. The GAT is staffed 24/7 and, if possible, would appreciate prior notification at briefing@bll.dk for better planning. The cost was 300 DKK. For an international passenger airport with this level of service, that’s sensational. Not ideal for refueling; for Jet A1 there is a hefty hook-up fee.

Three days with TBM: €158, parked on the paved apron. Customs/immigration clearance was surprisingly quick for Italy. No ATIS on Tuesdays; the flight plan must be closed by phone. On departure, AFIS coordinated the IFR pickup. Runway feels practically like concrete, absolutely level. Water taxi comes right to the terminal; charged us €75.

Excellent organization and service; limited parking space, so early reservation is necessary. 5 days with a TBM (3.4 t) cost €505—quite expensive for Croatia.

The procedures are still as described: registration and payment in advance via the club website, and then everything without staff on site. IFR approach and departure were very easy and convenient via Menorca Tower. The parking stands are very well marked and suitable even for heavier aircraft. After landing, the Guardia Civil conducted the most extensive inspection of my pilot career. They checked everything in the pilot and aircraft documentation using a checklist. In the end, however, no issues.

Operations at the GAT are professional and it is very busy. Unfortunately, LGAV is the only aerodrome you can fly to from abroad and the costs are extreme. For 48 hours with a TBM via Skyserv I paid €729. Neither Skyserv nor Goldair responded to the first email at all. They couldn’t arrange a taxi for more than 3 people — poor service at high prices is unfortunately fairly normal in Greece. The AOPA discount only applies up to 3 t MTOM. Fueling via WFS went smoothly.

My third landing in Nis—after having sworn every time before that I would never land there again, not even in the event of an engine failure right overhead the field—presented a completely different picture. For a technical stop to refuel (Jet €0.39/l, AVGAS unfortunately no longer available) with 3.4 t, €33 was charged, and the service was very friendly and quick. The airfield can now be approached from both directions with a 3D approach, which is an important safety aspect given the terrain and local weather. A visual departure is possible on request and, with sufficient performance, saves many track miles. If it stays like this, it’s a definite recommendation!

With a TBM: landing €37 and parking €18.50 per night. Customs requests pre-notification for arrival and departure via a web form, but was not on site. Friendly and efficient procedures; the aircraft was even secured due to a storm. A rental car was not available even with advance notice.

Procedures are good and very fast. Use Romanian Airport Services for handling (the other one is much more expensive); they are a bit hard to reach: timisoara@handling.ro, +40740836942, but very friendly and efficient. Total cost with TBM for 6 h and crew only 204.70 €. Basic handling 120, landing 17, parking 2 (COVID special rate, otherwise more expensive), navigation 58 (IFR), disbursement 7.7. If you don’t park on the south side of the apron (normally only A320/B737 there), there is an additional bus transfer. AVGAS not available.

IFR approach exactly as described in the AIP: either cancel IFR, or fly the ILS into LIRA and then cancel. The entry points are essential. Lengthy passport control in both directions. Since the office was unstaffed, put aircraft details into an overflowing mailbox. The drive into the city is very quick. Good GA airfield!

Handling mandatory per NOTAM. For a TBM, 2 nights on asphalt were €174 total. Grass parking is not good due to many small stones. Currently also passport control upon arrival from Schengen.

After Korfu became extremely expensive, Ioannina is the best AVGAS stop in northern Greece. Handling is good and friendly; €76 with AOPA discount for a Cessna 206 overnight via Skyserv. AVGAS €3. The opening hours are, in a typically Greek way, absolutely ridiculous and a waste of the excellent infrastructure. No less odd is the strict, extensive, and time-consuming passport control when arriving from Greece and when flying on to Schengen/EU.

LGST is right next to LGIR and is significantly faster, cheaper, and more pleasant than Heraklion, with no slots, etc. However, the operating hours are completely ridiculous; there’s no other way to put it. Extensions are possible on request. AVGAS €3.50, landing €54 via Skyserv with AOPA discount for a Cessna 206. For Greece, it’s a good GA field.

Good service but disproportionately expensive. Multiflight is only staffed until 1800Z at a major international airport and after that charges 95 GBP plus tax per commenced hour. Total for a landing with overnight: 380 pounds (1 commenced hour after 1800 billed). That’s too much.

Excellent infrastructure thanks to the influence of the Brose company, no comparison to the previous US Army setup. PPR is more of a formality.

The restaurant looks stylish but unfortunately serves only the usual bratwurst/currywurst grub.

I’m surprised that Danzig only gets an “OK” on average. The field has everything you could think of: 24h, ILS, Avgas, customs, taxi/bus/hotel, and for its size and equipment it’s incredibly inexpensive. C182 €20, with overnight €25, and 6 days parking an additional €12.

The C-Office is useless; better to go straight to Terminal 2 to the door “Airport charges.” That’s where you settle up, and a 1985-style briefing is rarely needed these days.

I had a technical issue and the on-duty Airbus mechanic immediately helped me with tools and assistance at no charge. From Apron 1 to Terminal 2 I was transported several times for free on the new bus.

Avgas €2.20. What more could you want?