What is the CCAR129:

Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) allows foreign operators to operate a limited number of flights annually without obtaining China Traffic rights, provided that the number of flights operated to China shall not exceed 12 flights per fiscal year, if operators are looking to operate more flights, then they have to obtain Chinese foreign operator certificate which is named as CCAR129.

CCAR129 is an essential permit issued by China Civil Aviation, to enable the operator to operate to/from China freely without limitation. This article will include some useful information that will be helpful to understanding the producers required by the China Civil Aviation Authority to obtain a Foreign Air Operator Certificate (CCAR129)

Starting Application Requirements:

The operator shall provide an authorization letter to a representative agent to coordinate with China CAA. (special form may be required).

The operator shall specify the fleet that will be operating in China, to be recorded in the China CAA system, All fleets shall have valid documents as follows

ü  AOC: Air operator certificate

ü  COA: certificate of airworthiness

ü  COR: certificate of registration

ü  COI: certificate of insurance

ü  Noise certificate

ü  RADIO station license

Processing procedures

Lead time for CCAR129 approval:

The application may require at least 21 days up to 3 months to be finalized with China CAA, the length of the process depends on providing full documents and full information required by China CAA without any missing parts. after completing all documentation and information required by the CAA, CAAC may get back with some inquiries or may require additional information or documentation that varies according to the operator's nationality and the requested destinations.

CCAR129 Processing stages:

CCAR129 approval processing procedures will have 3 different stages as follows:

Ø  Define a rate for the airline and check the applicability for CCAR129. (This process will require 1 week up to 1 month based on your documentation validity and proficiency in providing the documents to the competent authority) 

Ø  Contact - Foreign Airlines Certification & Oversight Division, CAAC North China Regional Administration - to open an FSOP account to hand over the docs. (This process will require 1 week up to 1 month based on your documentation validity and proficiency in providing the documents to the competent authority)

Ø  CAAC application review in the system. Once full application information and documentation are approved, CAAC will issue CCAR129 operation specifications to the operator. (This process will require 1 week up to 1 month based on your documentation validity and proficiency in providing the documents to the competent authority).

Main Requirements and documentations for the CCAR 129

1.       Application for issuance of CCAR-129 operations specifications

The Application letter includes general information about the operator, a special form is required to be filled out and can be downloaded from this link (CCAR129-APF)

2.      Operator’s declaration for CCAR-129 Certification Application

Declaration letter that contains information about the operator if they have obtained any CCAR previously, Aircraft equipment, Airmen information, and training, operator dispatching staff, Operations type, and en-route and Airport Navigation data resources (CCAR129 – Cert.) 

3.      Brief introduction of the Air Operator

It is a free letter introducing some useful information about the Operator's history, management details, quality and safety procedures, the airport, and the country that generally operating to and from.

4.      Economic approval document

Any document provided by the country of the operator proving that they are Authorized to operate commercial flights to/from the origin country and providing financial eligibility and capability to provide flights to/from China.

5.      Air Operator Certificate

6.      Operations Specifications or equivalent documents

7.       Draft of CCAR-129 Operations Specifications (CCAR129 OPS)

8.      General Operations Manuals

9.      Copy of the approval page of the Air Operator's Maintenance Control Manual

10.   Copy of the approval page of the Aircraft Maintenance Schedule

11.    A copy of the main maintenance base's Repair Station Certificate or equivalent document

12.   Copies of the certificate of registration, certificate of airworthiness, and radio station licenses of the aircraft intended to be operated in China.

13.   Copies of approval documents of airborne equipment, including ACAS Version 7.1 or more advanced version, GPWS, CVR, and FDR.

14.   Special Operations Approval issued by the civil aviation authority of the operator's state

15.   Runway performance analysis for destination airports within China

16.   Runway performance analysis for alternate airports within China

17.   Runway performance analysis for refueling airports within China

18.   Instructions or manuals to be used by ground service personnel within China

19.   Weight and balance control manual

20.  Company Emergency Manual

21.   Samples of the dispatch release, departure and arrival flight plans, weather, and NOTAM information obtained from each destination in China.

22.  Documentation concerning the Repair Station Certificate of the maintenance provider at destination airports in China to which the maintenance release is contracted (IFPLS Can Help you with this requirement)

23.  Contracts and agreements with the destination airports in China (IFPLS Can Help you with this requirement)

24.  Contracts and agreements with the alternate airports in China (IFPLS Can Help you with this requirement)

25.  Contracts and agreements with the refueling airports in China (IFPLS Can Help you with this requirement)

26.  Station manager or station representative training record (IFPLS Can Help you with this requirement)

27.  List of station manuals and manuals distributed to ground handling agent or manual of standard deviations (if applicable)

28.  In the case of a wet lease, approval from the CAA of the state of the lessee should be provided.

29.  In the case of a wet lease, the Air Operator Certificate issued by the civil aviation authority of the state of the lessor should be provided.

30.  In the case of a wet lease, CCAR-121/135/129 Operations Specifications or equivalent documents should be provided.

31.   In the case of a wet lease, a wet lease contract/agreement should be provided.

32.  For the application for exemptions/deviations, a letter of statement of the proposed exemptions/deviations from the specified provisions of ICAO Annex 6 and CCAR-129.

33.  For the application for exemptions/deviations, the proposed equivalent safety measures should be provided.

34.  For an application for operations to one of the special airports listed in Subparagraph a of C0067, appropriate information should be provided as required.

35.  In the case of a wet lease, the approval of a wet lease or equivalent document issued by CAAC should be provided.

For more information, you can download the full instructions for “Rules of CCAR-129 Operations” and you can feel free to contact our 24/7 operations department at ops@ifpls.aero that can help you to finalize the CCAR129 applications as soon as possible and enable you to obtain the permit within the minimum time required.

 IFPLS is the best flight support company in the world, and we are working hard to be “Your Intensive Flight Operations Care”.

The Middle East is the hottest region in the world politically and economically, Nowadays, Middle Eastern countries are the center of political conflicts and the source of most of the energy, oil, natural resources, and geostrategic locations.

there are huge conflicts between the Middle Eastern countries, but these conflicts didn't affect the aviation sector as much as the bad effects caused by a new generation of coronavirus, as flying through the Middle East became complicated and required planning for your route, hundreds of flights have been canceled, millions of middle eastern citizens are prohibited to travel in the middle east, which causes loses in the general business. Here we will introduce some of the new regulations issued by Civil Aviation in the Middle East.

-          Lebanon:

Lebanon Civil Aviation stopped any flight operating from or to the following countries: China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran, also prevented any transit passenger who is coming from the mentioned countries from using Lebanon as a transit station.

-          Iraq :

Iraq Civil Aviation stopped any flight operating from or to the following countries: China, South Korea, Italy, and Iran as well. Most of the flights of different Iraqi airlines have been suspended due to the ban on flights from Iraq as well.

-          Kuwait :

Kuwait Civil Aviation also has suspended flights from, China, Iran, South Korea, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, and Iraq

-          Bahrain :

Bahrain CAA issued an official NOTAMS declaring the stopping of any private or commercial flights from Iraq, Lebanon, Dubai, and Sharjah

-          Saudi Arabia:

Saudi GACA has banned any Commercial or private jet from transferring passengers from the following countries: China, Hong Kong, Iran, Italy, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Philippines, Singapore, India, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Somalia, Vietnam.  Also, the Saudi government decided to 'temporarily' stop travel to Mecca and Medina for pilgrims, which caused chaos and disasters for thousands of travel agents around the world

-          United Arab Emirates:

UAE suspended all flights from China, Iran, and Bahrain and the list of banned countries may be expanded based on the virus-expanding situation. 

-          Jordan:

Jordan CAA Suspended all flights operating to Iran and Baghdad Airport temporarily, while flights to other Iraqi cities were not affected and operating normally.

-          Oman:

The Omani Public Authority of Civil Aviation (PACA) has suspended all civilian flights to and from China and Iran. Additionally, at all ports of entry into Oman, travelers are required to complete a travel history declaration form to submit for inspection with Omani officials. If COVID-19 continues to spread internationally, PACA may introduce additional flight restrictions.

-          Qatar:

Qatar Airways has suspended all flights to China, Seoul, Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz, and Tehran temporarily.

-          Turkey:

Turkish Airlines has suspended its flights to Nakhichevan, China, and Iran, foreign people who were in China or Iran's northern city of Qom in the last 14 days will not be granted entry to Turkey.

it is worth mentioning that, most countries in the Middle East and all over the world restrict any passenger regardless of nationality, If he/she is in Iran, China, or any other infected country, the local authorities generally prevent them from entering unless they have spent at least 14 days outside the infected country or quarantined them for 14 days.   

If you require any further information or any help with your flights to the Middle East, please don’t hesitate to contact the IFPLS team: at ops@ifpls.aero.

NB:

This Article Published on 29-Feb-20

Some or all above information may be not valid after a while of time, and such temporary regulations related to COVID-19 may be changed at any time.

For information or confirmation about the NOTAMS related to this article, please contact: ops@ifpls.aero

 IFPLS is the best flight support company in the world, and we are working hard to be “Your Intensive Flight Operations Care”.

Lebanon Civil Aviation Authority is providing overflight permits and landing permits to the applicant directly, but they would prefer to apply via an agent who is responsible for paying the Air navigation fees on behalf of the operator.

Lebanon Civil Aviation authority bans old Russian aircraft such as Antonov, Ilyushin, Beriev, Sukhoi, Tupolev, or  Yakovlev that are older than 15 years old to operate in Lebanon, Exceptional permits may be approved if the aircraft may have diplomatic clearance and proven the aircraft qualifications, airworthiness, and performance are safe to operate without any problems.

Lebanon Overflight permits and Landing permits are issued by the Lebanese CAA free of charge, only stamp fees and AFTN shall be paid later after getting the CAA answer, regardless if the permit is approved or not, canceled or operated. Lebanon CAA issue AFTN fees to the applicant for each aircraft registration to cover the internal and external correspondences that use AFTN messages, the AFTN charge invoices will vary based on the number of characters used in the application and the permit messages and several messages sent, and received by Lebanese CAA, some AFTN invoices maybe reach over 100 USD if you didn’t apply for your permit wisely,  therefore, it is highly recommended to apply it via a local agent who can minimize the number of messages and can coordinate most CAA procedures via cheaper communication methods such as phones and direct by hand applications.

Air navigation charges shall be collected from each aircraft overflying Lebanese Airspace, by the maximum take-off weight (MTOW) as follows:

Aircraft MTOW 70 tons or less: 50 USD

Aircraft MTOW over 70 tons: 100 USD

Should you need any further information, or you may need any assistance to get your Lebanon overflight or landing permit, please don’t hesitate to contact our 24/7 operations: ops@ifpls.aero

“IFPLS is the best flight support company in the world, and we are working hard to be “Your Intensive Flight Operations Care”. 

The Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked country in South Asia, generally Overflying Bhutan is not require an official permit issued by the Bhutan Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA), as its FIR is controlled by China and India, but operates to their airport Paro International Airport VQPR / PBH is one of the most challenging operations in the world of aviation, as crew shall fulfill special requirements by being accompanied by a guide pilot on board who has been flying into Paro Aerodrome regularly or an operating crew who has flown before and knows the aerodrome very well by one of the following methods:

1.     The operating crew has undergone simulator familiarization training at Paro Aerodrome.

2.     The operating crew has flown into Paro Aerodrome during the last year.

If none of the above requirements are obtained by the operating crew, a technical stop near a station located in China, India, or Nepal will be essential to allow one of the local pilots (Navigator) to join the crew during their flight to Bhutan, the navigator can be coordinated and booked from national carriers such as Druk air or Bhutan airlines, but Navigator fees which may reach 4000 USD shall be paid for such service including the navigator fees and his relocating charges.

There are no Navigation fees applied for overflying Bhutan, but Navigation charges will be incurred by Landing in Bhutan according to the following price list:

Other applicable Airport Fees:

1.     The landing fee is fixed at US$ 120 plus US$ 4 per MTOM.

2.     Parking fee @US$10 for below one hour and thereafter US$ 8 per hour will be charged.

3.     Each passenger departing for a foreign country is charged US$13

Meet and assist services are also available at Paro Airport, and the prices vary depending on the season of arrival or departure

Crews for ad-hoc / scheduled flights can enter Bhutan by using Gendec provided that their passports are valid at least for 6 months, they hold their crew ID, and have their Hotel booking in Paro. If they are looking to stay outside Paro, then the crew must have a visa before arrival in Bhutan.

It is worth mentioning that it is highly recommended to plan to land before 0600Z to VQPR due to the wind curfew afternoon of Bhutan local time

Fuel Jet A1 is also available and requires securing it in advance for all foreign registered aircraft. All payments are advisable to be in advance or cash due to the non-availability of credit card facilities.

Should you need any further information about Bhutan, or if you are looking for support on your flight, please don’t hesitate to contact IFPLS, 24/7 operations: ops@ifpls.aero.

IFPLS is the best flight support company in the world, and we are working hard to be “Your Intensive Flight Operations Care”.

Jordan is a very important country in the Middle East, Jordan FIR mediates between several countries’ FIRs, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Egypt, Jordan Air traffic control plays a very important role by instructing flights with their accepted entry and exit points for each country in their route.

Jordan Civil Aviation Authority is providing permits for overflight and Landing, for the local handlers and companies located in Jordan that are authorized to provide aviation services in Jordan. Generally, no CAA charges are applied for overflight or landing permits in Jordan, but local agents are imposing tiny fees to cover stamps, administration, and communication charges.

Jordan Air navigation fees are collectible by Jordan Civil Aviation, and they shall be invoiced via the local agent who obtained the permit for the flight, Jordan CAA issues the Navigation fees based on the following formulas:

Navigation Charges for Overflight for Commercial scheduled flights= 2 JOD per ton of the Maximum take of weight.

Navigation Charges for Overflight for unscheduled flights= 2 JOD per ton of the Maximum take of weight + 10 JOD

If you need any further information, please don’t hesitate to contact our 24/7 operations team via our email: ops@ifpls.aero

IFPLS is the best flight support company in the world, and we are working hard to be “Your Intensive Flight Operations Care”.

Who doesn’t know the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the land of oil and investments, Saudi Arabia sky as same as its land, the route for most private and commercial flights operating to and from the Arabian Gulf region, and the way to the most attractive shores, Maldives, Seychelles and other islands in the Indian ocean.

Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) is issuing Saudi Overflight and Landing permits for authorized agents who are providing financial guarantees for Navigation and Permit fee payments.

Saudi GACA is approving overflight permits for 100 SAR as fixed fees per flight, and 200 SAR for each landing in any Airport in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia Navigation charges shall be paid to separate authority names as Saudi Air Navigation Services (SANS), Route Navigation will be calculated based on the following formula:

Charges = S x D x W

Where:

S: Service Unit Rate = 118 SAR

D: Distance Factor that is the distance flown between the point of entry and the point of exit in kilometers divided by 100

W: Weight factor. Determined the maximum takeoff weight using the following formula:

W= Square root of (MTOW ÷ 50) = √ (MTOW/50)

MTOW: Maximum takeoff weight in tons.

Should you need any further assistance or information in Saudi Arabia, please don’t hesitate to contact our 24/7 operations team via email: ops@ifpls.aero

IFPLS is the best flight support company in the world, and we are working hard to be “Your Intensive Flight Operations Care”.

Egypt is one of the most important countries in the Middle East, Egypt FIR controls most aircraft operating from Europe to the Gulf region or Africa,

Egypt Civil Aviation Authority provides permits for overflight and Landing, only for the local handlers and companies located in Egypt that are authorized to provide aviation services in Egypt. Generally, no CAA charges are applied for overflight or landing permits in Egypt, only some tiny fees to cover stamps, administration, and communication charges may be applied by the local agents.

Egypt Air navigation fees are collectible by the Euro Control, and they shall be invoiced directly by Euro Control to the operator based on the following formulas:

Navigation Charges for Overflight = T1 x D x P

Navigation Charges for Landing = T2 x D x P

T1 = unite rate which is: 17.03 € starting 01-Jan-19 as per Egypt AIP 

T2 = unit rate for landing which is: 132.44 € starting 01-Jan-19

D = Distance Factor = Distance flown over Egypt in Kilometers divided by one hundred (100)

P = Weight Factor = Square root of (MTOW ÷ 50) = √ (MTOW/50)

If you may need any further information please don’t hesitate to contact our 24/7 operations team via our email: ops@ifpls.aero

IFPLS is the best flight support company in the world, and we are working hard to be “Your Intensive Flight Operations Care”.

IFPLS would like to help you to manage your route and En-route cost by providing some financial and political information about the middle eastern countries:

Bahrain, one of the friendliest countries in the middle east, has no complicated procedures or regulations.

Bahrain overflight permit is an easy permit to be obtained, Bahrain CAA requires no fees to issue the permit at the time being, but it is invoicing air navigation charges for overflight and Landing in Bahrain according to the following price list:

Bahrain is not involved in any regional restrictions, and its airspace is open to operating in any middle eastern country without any issue, so it is too much easy to plan your flight route via this friendly country.

if you may need any further information, or help in Bahrain, please don't hesitate to contact our team via email: ops@ifpls.aero

IFPLS is the best flight support company in the world, and we are working hard to be “Your Intensive Flight Operations Care”.