If You’re Planning to Go to Asia
By Jennifer Harrington - June 1, 2008
Travel to Asia and the Middle East has become a requirement for many businesses. But while the infrastructure to support business aviation in those areas is improving, it still presents unique challenges for private jet travelers.
One of the biggest challenges is the time needed to prepare for the trip. Depending on the country, approval for landing permits might take anywhere from a few days to a few months. You can’t simply schedule a business meeting in China, for example, and depart the next day. “Understand that you’re not operating in your home territory,” said Ted Glogovac, product manager for Jeppesen International Trip Planning Services. “Things won’t always happen instantaneously.”
A trip to Dubai, UAE, is one of the easier to plan, according to Nancy Pierce, technical sales and support manager at Jeppesen. “They want at least one working day [to approve a landing permit], and there are no special documents required,” she said. Other countries in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, may require a wait of three or four days.
China, on the other hand, takes at least seven working days to approve a landing permit. “Two weeks would be optimum to plan a trip,” Pierce said. China also requires passengers to obtain a local sponsor who coordinates flight details with local authorities. In some cases, not having the right sponsor—such as a high-level government official—can affect the official decision to permit a flight into the country. “Some locations are very hard to get into,” said Orlando Cantu of Universal Weather and Aviation Flight Support Services. To fly into some airports in Tibet, for instance, “you need a strong contact, a special invitation.”
India won’t require you to have a local sponsor, but the approval process can take a month or longer. If you’re flying into an Indian military base, such as Agra Airport, the closest airport to the Taj Mahal, prepare to wait 30 working days for a landing permit, according to Jeff Newberry, senior international planner for Jet Aviation. Some travelers opt instead to fly into New Delhi, a three-hour drive from the Taj Mahal. The lead time for New Delhi is seven working days. “General aviation aircraft wouldn’t normally use a military base, but there are circumstances where the closest airport to the passenger’s destination is a military airport,” Newberry said.
Once a landing permit has been approved, try to keep schedule and passenger changes to a minimum, especially if you’re flying into China. “China has rejected and denied some permits because of too many changes,” Cantu explained. Pierce added that changes should always be submitted when the country’s aviation authority offices are open. “Submitting a change at night or on weekends will slow the process,” she said.
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