Russian Grand Prix 2016

At May 1, 2016 the Sochi Autodrome will host an annual auto race called the Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix which is the part of the Formula One World Championship. There will be also held practice races at April 29 and qualifying races at April 30. Due to such great sport event, there is expecting increase of general aviation traffic from April 27 to May 2, 2016.
It’s obvious that the primary airport of the Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix will be Sochi (URRS). And as alternative ones are Anapa (URKA) and Krasnodar (URKK). All three airports are 24-hour AOEs with full general aviation support services.

Here is some important info for those who are planning to operate there during the period of the upcoming event:

Landing Permits
The minimum lead time to process the landing permit for private flights to Russia is one working day, and three working days – for charter flights. Furthermore, Russian Civil Aviation Authority requires the submission of the following documents: a) airworthiness and registration certificate; b) worldwide insurance certificate; c) noise certificate; d) airworthiness review certificate and/or liability insurance for damage caused to third parties; e) airport slot confirmation. In case of schedule, origin/destination, routing, call-sign or registry changes, etc. there are required permit revisions.

Airport slots, parking and refueling
Airport slots are required for URSS and should be requested in advance. To receive airport slots, operators via their ground handler shall provide URSS airport authorities with the schedule, aircraft information, complete passenger list, and the name of the company which the flight is operating for. Once an airport slot is approved, parking is confirmed. By NOTAM, business aviation flights including helicopters with non-VVIP passengers will have only one hour on the ground at URSS. Longer parking term may be obtained for aircrafts carrying heads of state, government delegations, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, search and rescue aircraft and aircraft assisting the Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix in emergency situations.
The refueling at URRS is unwelcome during the Grand Prix period because of possible delays and its influence to departure slots. Fuel uplifts are restricted to arrival only, and as it was mentioned above the time permitted on the ground for most general aviation operations is limited to one hour (exceptions are: two hour – for GA aircraft with MTOW of 75 tons and more, and more than six hours – for cargo flights). If aircraft’s stay exceeds the parking time limit, URRS authorities will inform Russian FAA of the NOTAM violation and the heavy fine will be charged. So, it is obviously better to use Anapa (URKA) and Krasnodar (URKK) airports as alternates both for parking and refueling.

CIQ and visa procedures
Customs, immigration, and quarantine clearance at URSS takes 10-15 minutes and holds in the VIP terminal for passengers on private and charter flights and both in the VIP terminal and the main terminal for crew of such flights. Moreover, customs declarations and immigration cards should be completed and presented for that time.
Passengers and crew should have Russian visas prior to landing at URSS. Otherwise, each person who has arrived without visa should pay a fine in amount of about 100 USD, and the company responsible that will pay a fine in amount of about 5000 USD. At URSS, it’s not possible to obtain visas on arrival.

Hotac, transport and catering
There are many hotels in Sochi but due to the upcoming event it would be better to book hotel rooms and arrange car transportation for passengers and crew in advance to eliminate overpayment and cancelations. As for catering, it should be also requested in advance (at least 24 hours before departure).

Jetex is always ready to assist our customers in operation of flights to Russia and ensure smooth provision of all necessary services, even in case of such workload as it’s expecting during the Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix 2016. We will be happy to provide you with the full range of ground handling and flight operation services, as well as organize refueling, hotel accommodation, transportation and catering. After all, Jetex always strives to meet all the needs of our customers.