Shannon looks to expand service for BizAv Pre-Cleared Flights to USA

NBAA representatives are working with US government leaders to obtain approval on a catering program at Shannon Airport/EINN, on Irelands west coast, that would eliminate the need to manage international trash. Shannon is one of two airports worldwide where business aircraft operators can obtain US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) pre-clearance before entering the USA (the other is in Aruba).

Currently, aircraft that pre-clear through Shannon must then arrive at a facility in the US that has an approved international garbage-handling program, said NBAA VP of regulatory & international affairs Doug Carr. There are only a couple hundred such facilities out of the thousands of airports that business aircraft might otherwise be able to access in the U.S., he said, adding, “It limits the number of options you have available to you.”

Carr is hopeful that this program might receive final approval later this year. With such a program, he added, “An operator can get catering from Shannon, fly directly to any airport in the US & park in their hangars just like with a domestic flight.”

The initiative continues an effort to expand services at Shannon, which in June began providing an after-hours extension of pre-clearance until 9PM. local time. “It provides operators a full day of business in Europe before the need to head home,” Carr said.