Availability of Avgas at LTFJ Sabiha Gokcen

[pa_24_260]

We landed at Sabiha Gokcen (LTFJ) yesterday expecting to be able to refuel, as per the AIP. According to the handler avgas was not available at the airport though, and they were unable to help us. Their best suggestion was to stop at either Corlu (LTBU), some 65 nm in the wrong direction for our onward travel plans or Ataturk (LTBA), no doubt very expensive.

After a bit of research my understanding is that the local flying club at Sabiha Gokcen has avgas. I had the hotel staff in Istanbul give them a call this morning. The secretary at the club promised to talk to her manager and get back to us (the hotel) during the day but we haven’t heard from them.

Does anybody have a contact number for someone at the flying club at Sabiha Gokcen who might be enclined to sell us a couple of hundred litres of Avgas on Thursday morning? Ankara is on the way to our next destination, would refuelling there be feasible (i.e. not subject to ridiculous ladning and handling fees just for a fuel stop)?

[Aristomenis]

Hi,

can you please inform us if you were able to refuel? I am going there in 3 days and i have the same concern...

[IO540]

I flew to LTBH last Sep.

From some emails with locals, I have this

For Istanbul head for Sabiha Gokcen LTFJ

Handling & airport charges total varies 120~180 Euro if I remember well.

AVGAS is available but with prior arangement from the Aeroclub.

I know for sure that LTFJ has an avgas bowser - it was parked at LTBH (http://www.peter2000.co.uk/aviation/troy/index.html) during the 2009 fly-in (http://www.peter2000.co.uk/aviation/troy/fly-in-page.jpg) and they were flogging the juice at an interesting price :)

Google on
istanbul aviation club
for contacts.

As always, and particularly in the 3rd World, never fly anywhere unless you have contacted the airport first.

Turkey is 24hrs PPR for all non-EU reg planes, IIRC. You get a numeric code which you read to ATC on your way in.

[Aristomenis]

I suppose the code is not needed if you are Eu registration, correct?

[IO540]

I think that's correct. Check with the aeroclub in Turkey. Local knowledge is highly valuable in these places.

[pa_24_260]

IO540 sent me a PM with contact details for a local pilot friend of his shortly after my initial post. The local pilot was very helpful and made arrangements so that someone came out to meet us on the apron with the avgas fuel truck around 9 AM on the day of our departure. The price was 4 USD per litre, payable in cash in either USD or EUR.

Contacting the club through the hotel staff also resulted in a promise to get fuel in the end, but the outcome certainly felt more assured going through a personal contact.

Reading the relevant sections of the Turkish AIP prior to the trip, I could not find any mention of a need for PPR for EU-registered airplanes, and none was asked of us.

We paid around 90 EUR in airport fees (approach, landing, parking, follow me-car and marshall) and 318 EUR in handling fees.

There are at least two different handling companies at LTFJ. Make sure you know which one you have used when you come back to the GA terminal. We didn’t and there were apparently no records of our flight in the systems, which led to some unnecessary lost time until the right handler came to take care of us. Even then things were slow moving. We arrived at the terminal at 07:30 AM with refuelling planned for 09:00 and an expected departure time of around 09:40 AM, and we ended up taking off at 11:30 AM.

The other airport we landed at in Turkey (LTAZ Nevshehir), on the other hand, was almost as efficient as any Western European one, and very affordable at 60 EUR in total fees (no handling).

[Airhopper]

I stopped overnight at Sabiha Gokcen last year in a Cessna 210 and arranged fuel through the handling agent. This was part of a round the world flight and the fuel was the most expensive of any stop on the entire trip at $6/litre!!! :{ The handling company arranged delivery from the flying club bowser. Other charges were 365 Euro for handling and 104 Euro for landing/parking.

[500 above]

Gozen Air have beeen excellent handlers for me at both LTFJ and LTBA. There's a great GAT at the latter, at a price of course.

[rodneyblois]

The FAI Round the World 2009 flighj stopped there.
Prior agreement with the aero club ensured a magnificent welcome with all assistance, flight plans,food,fuel and hotels all arranged with a lot of smiles.