GA International Ops from non Intl Airport

[nomorecatering]

Digging around the Australian Customs website it says that under certain situations you can depart on an international flight from a non international airport....if you fax them passport details a week in advance and the itinerary and they will/may approve the operation.

Considering Sydney Intl is impossible to get a slot.

So....if you had your own airstrip, say in the southern highlands near Golburn and wanted to travel to NZ, you could enter in an agreement with customs to do so on a regular basis. On the website they even have the right forms to download and fax back.

Have i interpreted this info correctly?

[MakeItHappenCaptain]

It's so they can organise customs personnel to meet you there. Wanna pay for their transport and accomodation?

No problems!

[RatsoreA]

So let's say you want to go from X in NSW to Y in NZ, in your private GA airplane...

What is required? IIRC, there used to be a very schmick C210P that used to fly to NZ from the Gold Coast and back every now and then.

Has anyone on here actually done this? What would happen if you had stronger winds on your return, and had to land at an alternate? Are customs going to get their traveling road show and meet you? What's to prevent you once you're back in OZ airspace to just doing what you want?!? :ooh:

All serious questions, and I'd love to hear from anyone who has done such a thing!

[baswell]

there used to be a very schmick C210P that used to fly to NZ from the Gold Coast and back every now and then.
Not sure how long ago you are talking about, but Gold Coast airport is international. (Unless you were talking about a private strip on the GC)

[Howard Hughes]

Considering Sydney Intl is impossible to get a slot.

In and out before 6am should do it!:ok:

[dhavillandpilot]

It is possible to operate from some NSW coastal airports inetrnationally for GA. The criteria is do they have customs for water arrivals. An example is Coffs Harbour.

But like everything it costs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[neville_nobody]

There's no criteria you can depart anywhere in Australia if you are willing to pay for the customs officers to turn up. As stated above it would just be more cost effective if you had a local customs office nearby for a seaport as they only have to drive across town then rather then be flown in. If you look at where all the international seaports are you will realise that in reality there are plenty of international airports in this country.

[Up-into-the-air]

Did this some years ago, before 9/11, and flew from Goulburn to Fiji ex Goulburn.

You must do your customs ex Lord Howe, then from that point it is International.

We went GLB-LHI-NF-Noumea-Fiji and return.

Good trip, but paperwork has to be in place before departure.

PM me if you would like help.

[sprocket check]

Hmm. Sounds like an import export business. Your own strip with international ops...

[Bevan666]

I tried to fly Merimbula to Auckland once, started arranging customs at Merimbula, 6 weeks prior to anticipated departure. Heard nothing in the meantime and decided to fly PMQ-LHI-NF-AA instead (cleared customs in LHI - nice!).

Got a phone call from someone the day before the scheduled departure in Merimbula (this was 6 weeks after I made the request) asking me what time and where they were to meet me.

By that time I was in auckland..