Professional Pilot, February 2018

to 3 hours on the ground while DMK usually allows GA operators to park their aircraft for up to 3 nights HKG is always a difficult situation in terms of airport slots and GA parking If youre planning a trip to Hong Kong 5 7 days out the odds of getting the slot time that you want may only be 10 suggests Bennett So you may need to revise schedule land somewhere else or cancel the trip However this does not mean that you wont get in you just have to look at creative options There were 7 new GA night slots recently made available at HKG between 1400 2259Z daily For operators who dont mind arriving a day early this is an option to consider Top tips While operating to and within SE Asia is easier than flying bizjets to Northern Asia or India its definitely a more rigorous and challenging GA environment than Europe Youll need landing and overflight permits for virtually all operations visa requirements are frequently a consideration and airport operating curfews need to be considered along with country and airport specific GA restrictions Specific routings and FIR entry and exit points are often required with permits At HKG penalties are imposed on operators who violate slot approvals Meanwhile several major airports in China prohibit all GA operations from 7 9 am local daily and only allow 1 movement either 70 PROFESSIONAL PILOT February 2018 MNL Manila Philippines is the closest airport to the city center but GA operating curfews were recently put into effect here ISPs say that in the future this airport may become all but closed to bizav movements a landing or takeoff between 9 am and 10 pm daily Ferullo points out that direct flights from Taiwan to China and from Taiwan over China are not possible for foreign registered aircraft If youre coming out of Taiwan headed for Europe youll need to first stop at HKG MFM or perhaps in Korea before youll be able to overfly China he explains Even though Indonesia recently dropped a prohibition on foreign registered GA aircraft making more than 1 stop in country its still challenging planning a domestic leg as additional permit lead time is required and there are restrictions as to permit revisions Be aware of ADS B mandates impacting certain airways and flight levels within Hong Kong Vietnam and Indonesia FIRs If youre not ADS B outfitted and compliant youll be restricted to unacceptably low flight levels You always need to be very diligent with ADS B requirements says Fuller Without ADS B certification you may need to operate on non optimal routings or flight levels Aviation congestion increasing in SE Asia Over coming years its anticipated that both commercial and business aviation congestion will only increase within the SE Asian region leading to increased access and parking challenges China is looking to add more airports a new airport is being built in Beijing and Hong Kong will add a 3rd runway Still growing congestion challenges must be anticipated Parking and airport slots will become more difficult at many SE Asia locations and issues on the horizon could make things even more challenging says Bennett MNL Manila Philippines has now put in place a 7 hour GA operating curfew during the middle of the day and theyre talking about moving GA out altogether to CRK Clark Philippines Evolving operating restrictions and limitations are possible at other locations as congestion builds When planning operations to SE Asia dont wait too long to obtain approvals and coordinate parking and support Ideally give yourself 1 2 weeks lead time recommends Sicaud Its not like operating to Europe Youll need to consider permits slots airport curfews visas and parking limitations But as long as youre aware of all applicable restrictions and limitations particularly at busier locations SE Asia can be a straightforward operating environment without exceptional challenges Editor at Large Grant McLaren has written for Pro Pilot for over 20 years and specializes in corporate flight department coverage While SGN Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam and HAN Hanoi Vietnam are the 2 most popular destinations in Vietnam ground handling services and support are adequate at even the more remote and secondary airports in the country