Flight permits are compulsory for any travelling aircraft. There’s no getting around it, both overflight and landing permits require certain procedures in order to request them. While they’re no walk in the park, for a company such as ourselves here at Flightworx, they’re second nature. If you’re thinking about requesting them yourself however, we thought we’d share the 10 best practices for overflight and landing permits to ensure you not only improve your chances of getting them, but have a much clearer picture of what you can expect (e.g. China, Mongolia etc revising your routes).
Ensure You Give Plenty Of Time For Your Permit Requests
The lead-time for overflight permits is around three to five business days. The lead-time for landing permits can be anywhere from five to ten business days. The efficiency with which you receive your permits will depend on a number of factors including the country you’re dealing with as well as any schedule revisions needed etc. Remember, any issues or mistakes with the permit will mean it being rejected immediately so go over things more than once, check the information you’re entering and get it in with plenty of time to spare.
Remember To Have Routes & FIRs At The Ready
In a great number of regions, routing and Flight Information Region (FIRs) information is required when submitting the request for overflight and landing permits. These countries include Africa, China, Iran, India, North and South Korea to name just a few. It’s worth simply having it to hand in case you need it anyway. It saves any delays.
Don’t Build Flight Routes Too Far In Advance
When using any particular route for a flight, it’s a good idea not to build the route more than six months in advance. The reason being that when routes are built more than six months in advance, there’s a good chance things will have changed and will mean you having to work out a route all over again.
Consider Test Flights
It’s plain and simple that running test flights are just good practice. It gives you a great chance to re-check routes and ensure they work. It may also be the case that winds have shifted and what was possible earlier isn’t viable now. In such cases, additional stops may be needed with added permits required.
Rerouting Could Affect Your Other Permits
Some countries will change your route. Not only will this mean re-routing, but it will also mean your other permits will be affected too. This is a regular occurrence when working with countries such as China or Mongolia. For example, China may require you to enter their FIR boundary at one specific fix yet Mongolia doesn’t give you permission to exit their FIR boundary at the required point. If not checked, you’ll find this out minutes before entering airspace. Check in advance and get ahead of the game.
Have A Backup Routine Ready
A backup plan is always a good choice. Whether weather affects you or something else entirely, having a back-up route in your back pocket, ready to use could prove hugely beneficial. You should also try your best to obtain alternative permits ready to use in the event that you need to re-route.
Confirm Your Jet Parking
It isn’t necessary to confirm your parking in advance however it’s always advised when applying for your landing permit, especially when dealing with countries such as India which has seen a huge surge in private aviation in recent years. If you don’t confirm, you may need to reposition which could require more landing permits being needed.
Be Careful With Multiple Overflights
Did you know if your original route wasn’t approved, some air traffic controllers could potentially turn down your request to enter their airspace? This could see you needing to re-route which will undoubtedly add more delays and costs. Check this all beforehand so that issues can be resolved before they crop up.
Consider Your Airworthiness
If you’re ferrying an aircraft from one location to another, you may even need to obtain a permit to fly just so you can obtain an overflight permit. If this is the case, you may want to consider specialist help from the likes of ourselves at Flightworx who’ll help you consider the airworthiness of the aircraft and help you obtain the necessary permits.
Confirm All Permit Requests
Last but not least, check, check and check again. Once you’ve submitted both overflight and landing permits, you should check that they’ve been received. The last thing you want to do is find out minutes before leaving the ground that they haven’t been received or they’ve been left unprocessed in which case it could be too late to get what you want in order to fly.
CONTACT OUR TEAM TODAY
Feel free to contact our team here at Flightworx today for advice on permits, flight planning and aviation fuel supply.
