Airport Brief: LEJ

[OneTwoTree]

Hello ladies and gents.

Not really sure where to post this...

I'm going on a charter trip to LEJ shortly and Unfortunatly my airline doesn't have any airport brief from past experiences.

So I have come to humbly ask if anyone has been there if you could shed some light on the operations at LEJ, previous experiences and things to expect (or what not to expect!).

Thanks!

[casablanca]

I assume you are referring to Leipzig, (EDDP).
I have been many times in past and it is quite a nice airport to fly into. The controllers are good and they have 2 large runways, all of which are cat 3 ILS I believe.
It is usually not very busy during the day, but is quickly becoming one of the largest cargo hubs and really comes alive at night. The southern runway is usually utilized by cargo aircraft. During the night you may expect to do the full rnav Sid/ star.
I unfortunately don't have any info about the airport handler or general aviation terminal.
Downtown Leipzig is quite nice and I'm sure you will enjoy.

[Tu.114]

As Casablanca has written, it is a well equipped airport with 4 Cat III-capable runways.

There is a rather strict noise distribution programme in force. Cargo flights parked on the southern cargo apron will usually get the southern runway (08R/26L), while everyone else gets the northern runway 08L/26R - requests for the southern runway are usually politely declined also for turboprop traffic.

Taxi times are consequently often rather long. To cut them short, ATC will in times of low traffic allow landing aircraft on 26R to vacate at A1 (at the end) either on its own or on request; for 08L exit A6 (first high speed to the right) is recommendable as it will lead straight to the bridges. Be sure though to take the correct (cleared) one of the two available ones, as the other end of the bridge is not visible when entering and opposite traffic tends to cause a problem.

Although the transitions are rather long, do expect straight-in approaches or short lineups during the day (as Casablanca has written, after midnight it is a different story). On occasion, a CDA will be offered (seen on Jeppesen pages 10-2K to 10-2T), but there are no hurt feelings if You decline.

Passenger and baggage handling works well; the distances to be walked between the checkin and the gates are surprisingly long though (the checkin is at the northern end of the new terminal where the GDR-Lufthansa Ilyushin 18 is parked).

Type dependent, parking may or may not be on the painted lines. Especially on the western and eastern passenger apron (if not using the airbridges), the marshaller might catch You somewhere on taxiway L or N and place You somewhere on the area.

If You leave the aircraft at the passenger aprons, You will be taken to the passenger arrival gate. You might have to use the provided doorbell to ring up the Federal Police (Bundespolizei), who will let You in if the door is closed.

Deicing is usually no problem; for the northern runway it is performed on the two dedicated pads at either threshold and for the southern runway there are pads on the northern and southern apron. Sometimes, only a single pad is used which may not be at the used runway; mind the long taxi times when selecting a mixture. On some rare occasions, I have experienced slow service with too few pads in operation and consequently long waiting times.

Alternates: Both Dresden (EDDC) and Berlin offer Cat III runways and are well connected to Leipzig via train and highway

Transport time to the city center is approximately 30 minutes by taxi. Hotels will most likely be somewhere in the city, as there is none at the terminal. Several good eateries and if so desired a nice concert (Bach!) will likely be available.

[OneTwoTree]

Wow. Thanks Casablanca and TU144. Very informative.

Forgot to mention were originating from Sharjah, UAE to LEJ and then continuing to AMS.

Sounds like an interesting place. Thanks again for sharing your experience. I'm super grateful.

[deltahotel]

What is your planned arrival time? If it's between about 2100Z - 0000Z be prepared to be mucked about by ATC. That's the rush hour for inbound freight with close to 40 arrivals of various types and speeds - 737/757/767/Electra/ATP/A300. Add to that lej as ATC training airfield and it can be a balls ache. If arriving at that time I add 200kg (757) fuel just for ATC. Expect early descents from area radar (munich/bremen), often with 2000fpm followed by aggressive speed control. My advice is to put the most basic arrival in the FMC and then wait to see what they can do to you!



Any other time of day, it's fine. Leipzig is a fine city with much to do/see/eat/drink.

Enjoy!

[OneTwoTree]

Thanks for sharing, deltahotel.