Heads of State and heads of government of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries meet in Warsaw, Poland, July 8 and 9, for the 2016 NATO Summit. This meeting, held in the National Stadium, is a periodic opportunity for NATO member countries to evaluate and generate policy. For general aviation (GA) operators this event will significantly impact access to Warsaw (EPWA).

The following is an overview of what you need to know:

1. Primary airport

EPWA is the primary airport for this event. It’s a 24-hour airport of entry (AOE) with full GA support services and infrastructure for all types of aircraft. While normal airport operating hours are 0600-2200 local, this location goes into “standby status” from 2200-0600 local. To operate non-scheduled flights during night hours, prior permission required (PPR) is needed from airport authorities, with a minimum of 24 hours advance notification. PPR applications must include type of flight, registration, operator name and address, date/time of flight, purpose of flight and noise certificate.

2. Airport slots

EPWA requires airport slots for all operations. Slots have validity +/- 15 minutes and are processed by the slot coordinator. A unique slot ID is generated for all approved requests and must be noted in remarks section 18 of your flight plan. Airport slot IDs must always have an ASL prefix attached (e.g., ASLEGXXAGN1816000).

3. EPWA operating restrictions

Between July 6-10 no airport slots for GA will be issued other than for diplomatic flights. If you do not have a qualified diplomat onboard you’ll need to travel to an alternate airport.

4. Poland landing permits

For private non-revenue flights to Poland only a notification is required. This notification must be sent at least 24 hours prior and include a copy of your insurance document. For charter (non-scheduled commercial) passenger operations, with up to 11 seats, the same notification procedure is mandated. However, if the charter operation has 12 or more seats, or is a cargo flight with aircraft maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) more than 5700 kg, a landing request must be sent to the Traffic Rights Division of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in order to obtain a landing permit.

5. Charter landing permit processing

CAA processes charter permit requests Monday-Friday 0815-1615 local. Lead time for permit requests varies depending upon type of operation:

• three business days for a single charter flight request
• seven business days for two to nine charter flights
• 10 business days for 10 or more charter flight requests
• 30 business days for scheduled operations

6. Permit validity/revisions

Charter landing permits for Poland are valid for +48 hours. For schedule changes within the 48 hour validity only a new or revised ICAO flight plan is required. For schedule changes outside of the validity period a permit revision request must be sent to CAA.

7. Landing permit documentation

The following information must be provided to CAA along with a landing permit request:

EU operators

• Worldwide insurance including coverage against war and act of terrorism
• Air Operator Certificate (AOC) with specifications
• Airworthiness
• Operating license

Operators outside the EU

• Worldwide insurance including coverage against war and act of terrorism
• AOC with specifications
• Airworthiness
• Charter agreement
• Noise certificate

U.S. operators

• Airworthiness
• AOC with specifications
• Charter agreement
• Noise certificate
• Copy of signed and stamped charter agreement (signed and stamped by both charterer and operator)
• Operations specifications from ops manual (A3, B50 & A15 OR A1-1 OR A4)
• Letter of authorization stating that the 3rd-party provider may request the permit on the operator’s behalf

8. CIQ clearance

EPWA has a general aviation terminal (GAT) where customs, immigration, and quarantine (CIQ) is cleared for all GA arrivals and departures. This process is usually very quick as long as you’ve checked the “nothing to declare” box.

9. Alternate airports

If you’re not able to obtain an airport slot for EPWA, alternates to consider include Modlin (EPMO) and Poznan (EPPO), both 24-hour AOEs. Operators may also consider Radom (EPRA), a former military airport that transitioned to a civilian field in 2015. EPRA now features an active commercial terminal and full GA ground handling support services. Distance from EPPO, EPMO and EPRA to EPWA is 284 km, 38 km and 88 km, respectively.

10. Special operating conditions

To ensure safe and smooth traffic flows for this event, EPWA airport authorities have published a special AIP supplement (SUP 53/16) for the NATO Summit (July 6-10) and World Youth Day (July 27-31). During these periods operators may not list EPWA as an alternate aerodrome and are obliged to contact their ground handler at least one week prior to arrival to confirm all necessary services, including fuel uplifts. Additionally, operators must carry towbars unless the ground handler has pre-confirmed that a tow bar will be available.

11. Special handling arrangements

During the July 6-10 and 27-31 periods, per the SUP 53/16, ground handlers will not guarantee any services requested after arrival and may refuse performance of such services. If crewmembers leave their aircraft unattended for more than 60 minutes, a representative must be appointed with the authority and expertise to move the aircraft on short notice. Contact details of the representative must be provided to the ground handler. During these periods, all airport, fuel and handling charges should be pre-paid prior to arrival. The good news is that if you overpay, in terms of advance payment, any overage will be returned to you within 21 days following flight operation.

12. Hotels and local transport

Although Warsaw has many good hotel accommodations options, including large international chain hotels, it will be challenging sourcing crew accommodations over the NATO Summit period. However, hotel availability should not be an issue at alternate airport locations. We do not anticipate issues or challenges in terms of local transport availability – neither with pre-paid (car with driver) transport nor public taxis.

Conclusion

It’s important to note that only GA diplomatic flights will be permitted into EPWA during the NATO Summit period. All other operators must use alternate airports for travel to the Warsaw area. Keep in mind that even approved diplomatic operations to EPWA must confirm ground handling services at least one week prior, should prepay for all required services, and will need PPR in order to operate during late night hours.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this article or would like assistance planning your next trip to Poland, contact me at alexandraferullo@univ-wea.com.