The Key to Spain: El Cheapo

Introduction

El Cheapo is a pseudonym, for inexpensive and typically of inferior quality. Used in aviation it refers to anything cheap. In Spain, it’s often referred to as avoiding and escaping the high extortionate handling fees and multiple administration fees piled on top. What should cost a few pounds, will normally run into excess of 300 EURO – in fact, at a place like Ibiza you are looking at least 60 EUR per person each way. Why would you bother?

Spain has a law saying that a pilot has the right to minimal handling and in most cases, this is simply requesting an escort to and from the commercial aviation terminal. This may work in one airport in Spain, but on the other hand, your requests will simply be ignored, or responses will come back with a non-reply.

Occasionally, translation in Spanish works but this ultimately depends on the location. Then some particular rules and regulations are stated in the AIP that make this a non-starter. The procedure is complex, often trivial so requires some thought and reading but I’ll try to simplify it here.

Written Information

There are a few things that you need to be aware of, some general underpinning knowledge on the process and the legal background of El Cheapo and how it should be done legally and as per the guidance that’s available online.

AOPA Spain

AOPA Spain has a dedicated guide on its website on the recommendations for general aviation at the airports in the AENA network. It’s in Spanish, but any browser will be able to translate this for you.

Each Commercial Aviation Ramp agent has an obligation to collect you from your aeroplane and drop you at the Commercial Aviation Terminal. They can also collect you from the terminal and return you to your aircraft for the maximum fee stated in the Rate Guide under “8.2. MAXIMUM CHARGES OF THE MAIN COMPLEMENTARY ACTIVITIES OF HANDLING” & “To provide transport at ramp.”

Real Aero Club de Espana

Don’t let them cheat you goes into more detail, explaining the procedures for hiring handling services at the Spanish Airports that are run by AENA in which obtaining a ramp agent is compulsory. This is a more detailed guide than the technical information laid out by AOPA.

AENA CIRCULAR

Here are the AENA circulars, one in English and the other in Spanish for your use. This explains rules in compliance with current legislation.

This isn’t as complex as it looks, but I hope this provides a background to what you are trying to work against, budgets with a “surprise” of more than €900 for services for an SEP.

AIP

Once you have decided on a destination in the long list of Spanish Airports, usually the operationally busy ones – the best place to check is the Spanish AIP. You can have a cursory look at the EuroGA Airports Database Search function or if you are a member of PPL/IR Europe, reports from some pilots are available under the Airfields Section. This will give you a likely idea of the costs, but be warned some have likely fallen foul to the surprise.

On the AIP website, just search the ICAO for the airport in question. I.e. LEIB.

Section 2. (AD DATA) provides you with information on the airport operator. This is usually indicated under the AD Administration. In this case at Murcia, it’s AENA.

You’ll note that the Email for the airport operations office (ARO) is located just underneath. The telephone number is also provided. This is the email you’ll need later for the initial contact and what is recommended by AENA in the circular, whereby you’ll Inform the operations office at the airport of the hired agent through the established communication channels. This is where you’ll arrange parking and payment of airport fees.

If you look further down in the PDF you’ll find Section 4. (HANDLING SERVICES AND FACILITIES) where you’ll find the RAMP agents that operate at the airport. It’s important to note that at some airports there are FBOs or “Free Tariff Agents” – these are not signed up by contract for the El Cheapo service. In Murcia, there are only two options and no FBOs.

The RAMP agents may attend “…general aviation.” unless you opt to access through the General Aviation Terminal. I recommend that you avoid this as there are additional charges usually of 60 EUR per person (Including crew) per direction for mandatory security. The bigger and busier the airport, usually the more options for Ramp Agents.

It goes without saying, be kind and courteous – as the language barrier can sometimes be difficult, but the Spanish I’ve dealt with, through AENA to Iberia are extremely helpful. Nothing is fast in Spain, so do plan and remember this minimum service isn’t going to be speedy nor are they going to book your taxi to your villa.

If you scroll further down you’ll come across the most important aspect and Section 20. (LOCAL REGULATIONS) where there are some barriers to achieving the goal of a cost-effective service in Spain.

This is where you’ll find information about parking capacity, information about maximum parking, maximum wingspans and the requirements for SLOTS, either airport or those assigned by the coordination office. I recommend reading this bit carefully and highlighting the important aspects and requirements, before contacting the ARO.

Barriers to El Cheapo

Limited “Handling” Options

All General Aviation and Business aircraft must contract ground handling services, in accordance with AD 1.1 section in the AIP for Spain. It is mandatory to contract handling agents for all operations to General and Business Aviation, by provisions in item 3.1.6 of AD 1.1 of the AIP-Spain. There is no way around this.

One thing to bear in mind is that if there are limited options at the airport, whereby there are only two Ramp Agents and no FBOs – gaining access to the airport via El Cheapo will likely be more difficult. One of the Ramp Agents is likely to have a monopoly at the airport and will not offer the Servicio De Accompanimento method. This is just a fact of life that no matter how much you try, you’ll either get a cold turkey or the trail will eventually go cold.

The options are fairly limited but you have to remember that if you are not happy with the Ramp Agent, you can take the matter further with AOPA Spain’s legal team, but don’t expect to then be handled by that agent in the future.

Parking Restrictions

There are two known wordings in the Spanish AIP that spell trouble. “prior parking authorisation” & “maximum parking time”. But this is not the be-all end it all. These details are usually in the AIP, but it’s best to confirm with the ARO who will inform you correctly. In some cases, this spells out that the Handler, i.e. the Ramp Agent must contact the airport on your behalf. This is where your resultant invoice and it’s costs start spiralling out of control.

Pushback assistance

This one makes somewhat sense, especially on stands where they aren’t PIPO. PIPO stands for Power In, Power Out. Most parking requires pushback only and that requires you to push back the aircraft. You can try to start and turn but expect a full-on argument on the radio with ATC.

Allegedly but I can’t find this in any documentation or the safety manuals, that pushback by hand is forbidden. If of course, you have your own towbar, then you’ll probably have to have the agent do it and expect a charge for this. You can only enquire but it is recommended to ask the handler or the airport to ensure you are on a PIPO stand.

These stands are fairly limited and are normally for those on quick turnarounds. The charges for this vary, and I am not familiar with what maximum charge you could incur.

AIP “Local Regulations”

You’ll find many RESTRICTIONS TO OPERATIONS in this section, some are avoidable, some are unfortunately not. One example is Palma De Mallorca.

From May 1st until October 31st, the use of the airport will be restricted for aircraft with a cruising speed lower than 220 kt (except State, hospital and search and rescue aircraft), daily from 0530 to 0700 and 1600 to 1830. If any affected aircraft requires the use of the airport during these periods, it shall assume the possible delays, as not-restricted aircraft will always have priority

Madrid Barajas

See the following regarding Madrid Barajas, which makes it a no-go.

Aerodrome closed to piston-engined aircraft.
General and Business Aviation Aircraft: All aircraft with MTOW less than 10000 Kg and/or fewer than 20 seats must have engaged the services of the General and Business Aviation manager authorized by the airport: AVIAVIP FBO MADRID.

Barcelona El Prat

See the following regarding Barcelona El Prat, which makes it sadly a no-go.

AD closed for VFR operations, with the exception of ambulance, emergency and State flights, or flights servicing Autonomous Communities and other local Entities, provided these are non-commercial public services. 

AD closed for helicopter operations, with the exception of: ambulance, emergency and State flights, or flights servicing Autonomous Communities and other local Entities, provided these are non-commercial public services. 

AD closed for maximum take-off weight (MTOW) operations equal to or less than 2000 kg, with the exception of ambulance, emergency and State flights, or flights servicing Autonomous Communities and other local Entities, provided these are non-commercial public services.

AD closed for single-engine turboprop aircraft operations, with the exception of: seasonally cleared operators, ambulance, emergency and State or flights servicing Autonomous Communities and other local Entities, provided these are non-commercial public services.

Operators of single-engine turboprop aircraft must request clearance at bcnoperaciones(at)aena.es, 30 days prior to the change of season. AD closed for aircraft operations without suitable radio equipment for continuous two-way radio communication with ATS.

No Avgas

Most airports can ban you by stealth by not providing 100LL, that’s of course unless your tanks are able to tanker or you are a JET A-1 aircraft. Avgas uses Tetraethyl Lead (TEL) to boost the octane level of the fuel and there’s much discussion about its use in Europe in the coming years.

Arranging “Handling”

All General Aviation and Business aircraft must contract ground handling services in accordance with AD 1.1 of the AIP for Spain. Whether you fly VFR or IFR (explained below), you must seek a handler. While interacting with a RAMP Agent, you must request Servicio De Accompanimento or the minibus transfer from the aeroplane to the commercial airport. This would be a good start for the title of the email, including the month/date and the aircraft registration/callsign.

Another recommended title or expression is PLATFORM ACCOMPANIMENT SERVICE.

Provide details of your aircraft details such as registration and type and your estimated arrival times. Where possible for the invoice, you must have an NIF or CIF number. A VAT number for a Limited Company you own or a flying group/club/school should suffice.

AENA

Generally speaking, it’s wise to contact the Airport about your Operation. I wouldn’t call them because they only accept phone calls from the handler. Email is the most effective approach to negotiate the complexities of this situation.

You must send AENA the information of your intended travel. This comprises the callsign/registration, arrival and departure point (i.e. LFAT), and estimated time in UTC. Also, include your MTOW and noise certificate.

The title is “REQUEST PRESUPUESTO” – These charges vary depending on aircraft type and MTOW/noise category. Here is an example of the invoice from Ibiza Airport.

It is worth noting that you have already contacted RAMP AGENT (i.e. Iberia) for service. Alternatively, RATES and the PRICING SIMULATOR can be found here.

Contacting AENA and RAMP agents should be done simultaneously to ensure that you let AENA know you have an Agent as per AD 1.1 of the AIP for Spain.

Payment of AENA Fees –

You can now pay your AENA fees at the Airport POS instead of walking to the AENA office. Any further charges imposed by a local handler (where applicable) should be paid directly to the handler.

On the morning of your departure, respond to the email you received with your budget (above) and request an invoice, specifying your arrival time as well as your expected departure time and date. They will usually check which handler you utilised. It is prudent to submit as much information as possible; you may then pay your invoice using the following link.

IFR Slots

The most challenging aspect of this operation, and the major stumbling block, is the viability of flying into or out of El Cheapo, IFR. I appeared to have cracked the code, as all information was supplied on the website. You’ll discover that the SLOT COORDINATOR only wants to deal with the handler.

For individual SLOT coordinators and chasing SLOT requests, you’ll need to ask for the airport’s SLOT coordinator’s number based at that same office. The last two digits will change for +34 91 393 77 (xx)

The contact details for AECFA are the following;

E-mail:
slots(at)aecfa.es (slot requests) 
slot.coord.admin(at)aecfa.es (other issues) 
Tel.: +34 91 393 77 50

Example GA Request for GZANY

When sending the request, follow the guidelines below and include the wingspan, MTOW, and aircraft owner/billing information. When I had my failed effort in 2022, they appeared frustrated on the second request since I cancelled so the next time I came to request a new slot they wanted my billing information, so I now include it in all SLOT requests.

Please see local regulations in the AIP, such as limits on parking or maximum permitted Wingspans. This is usually to limit business jets staying more than 3 hours, rather than light GA. It’s best to include your wingspan in the SI (Special Information) of the SSIM format. Details of using the IATA SSIM format via email.

Example request for Ibiza (LEIB/IBZ) in Summer 2023.

SCR
/REG
S23
12SEP
LEIB
NGZANY 22SEP 004DA40 MPL1530 D
NGZANY 28SEP 004DA40 0830MPL D
SI WINGSPAN 11.94M
SI AIRCRAFT TYPE DA40D 1150KG MTOW
SI ALTAIR AVIATION LTD
SI PRIVATE FLIGHT 
SI +44xxxxxxxxxx
SI (1st Line of Address)
SI (City)
SI (Postal Code)
GI BRGDS ROBBIE

SLOT Received from AECFA

The 1530z SLOT was unavailable, so 1540z was suggested as a replacement. Include the GES number (RMK/) as ITEM 18 of the flight plan. Outside of office hours, it gets more difficult to alter SLOTS. Some AIPs provide the contact numbers of the local coordinating office, but I believe it is IBZ.GTR(at)aena.es.

You’ll see that the slot is to/from Montpellier (MPL/LFMT), which is the airport from where we will depart and arrive in IBZ (LEIB). This is not the time we are scheduled for Montpellier.

SCR
/GES4737082
S23
12SEP
IBZ
UGZANY 22SEP22SEP 0000500 004DA40 MPLMPL1530 D1
KGZANY 22SEP22SEP 0000500 004DA40 MPLMPL1540 D1
K GZANY 28SEP28SEP 0004000 004DA40 0830MPLMPL D1
GI END TELEX
GI BEST REGARDS RUBEN

Refuelling

Typically, the AIP will list the refuellers; however, if this is not the case, you can always contact AirBP or the relevant fuel provider for more information. In this case, I called SLCA but this required translation. They said I should phone them when I arrived and that I would need “CONOS” since they would not accept refuelling without it, according to the legislation.

It’s important that you request this with them. Some airports have the self-service refuel but I am not familiar with this procedure with a Jet A1 aircraft.

I highly recommend that you refuel on arrival, as there is normally only one refuel cart that is capable of uplifting to a small aircraft and is usually busy with private jets which take lengthy periods to refill, and on some occasions, it is the same refueller who fills up Ryanair who have commercial pressures and top priority. This ensures that if you have any SLOT you are not delayed and have to re-negotiate with the coordination office or local slot negotiator which could mean paying the handler an expensive administration fee.

CONOS

CONOS is Spanish for cones, which appears to be a prerequisite for you to pay for “Proper Handler”

A.2.18. Cones must be placed on the ground around certain parts of the aircraft with the
aim to prevent damages incurred by vehicles or teams during handling
operations. In the case of strong winds, necessary measures will be taken to
avoid these cones becoming FODs.

You can find the Apron Safety rules on the Apron Safety guidelines from the AENA website. Which states the following criterion; some areas require it, some do not; nonetheless, in Girona, Iberia offered it, and in Ibiza, only “Proper Handler” could supply it. So we had to do the easy thing: get some traffic cones.

There are no right or wrong solutions, although the majority of the aviation sector employs orange/red reflective cones with 750mm height. The following are reasonably priced and weigh 4kg each, so keep in mind that the total weight is 16kg, and they are fairly bulky (the size of a large suitcase) when compacted together, which may throw a wrench in your planning if space is limited or useful load is restricted.

750mm 1-Piece Traffic Cone | UK’s No1 Supplier for Road Cones | SSUK (streetsolutionsuk.co.uk)

Servicio De Accompniento

Usually the Ramp Agent or “Handler” will contact you with the service you have requested and state a price and that once you are happy and you accept, to contact them for further assistance a few days before.

I recommend you check where they’ll meet you for the return sector, as this is crucial in you receiving no delay to your aircraft. You’ll either pay in advance via SEPA via your online banking or at the side of the aircraft on completion of the service.

Success Stories

Here are some recent experiences where I had reasonable success with El Cheapo.

Ibiza 2023

Initially, this was a feasibility study, and I ran into stumbling blocks pretty quickly, most notably in this thread, and it wasn’t just the cost of such a trip, but the difficulties in arranging handling meant that this challenge would become greater than I thought, along with my desire to carry out this trip IFR quickly met some challenges that it was far simpler to VFR it.

In 2023 on my fourth attempt to fly here. All previous attempts were cancelled due to weather or a Positive COVID test. I selected Iberia for this service, as they were the major agent in Ibiza, and were highly busy.

You can view the write up here.

Failures

Here are some recent experiences where I had partial success or failures with El Cheapo.

Girona 2022

In 2022 I planned to fly to Barcelona, however, the main airport El Prat had recently banned SEP aircraft under 2000 kg. Girona or Reus was the only reasonable option for direct to/from the UK. After contacting Handling agents of general aviation not fully knowing the procedure and not being offered Servicio De Accompanimento. On contacting Iberia, I got a better offer; presumably, the costs were slightly more due to the nature of a direct flight to/from the UK but other than the security fee which according to AENA should be waived for aircraft under 5 tonnes was somewhat El Cheapo.

Eventually, we got a response to our email, where we were given a budget of the following;

• €24.41 EUR x2 for Ramp Handling
• x2 transport of €7.74 EUR +
• An additional €20 EUR for the cost of security pass x2.

This was a lot more than the expected cost set by AENA, however, was a lot cheaper than the other handling agents. The total to Iberia was EUR 109.00. The Aena Airport Fees include VAT EUR 44.30. I suspect this may have cost more than the transport due to being a UK flight.

You can view the write-up here

Bilbao 2022

Whilst this trip to Bilbao didn’t happen due to a technical issue. Because of COVID-19 restrictions Groundforce as a ramp agent responded with the following;

To enter Bilbao airport from the UK, a health check is still required.  As it is a private flight, it is the duty of the handling agent to carry out said control. We are very sorry, but our staff cannot do it.

We got a quotation from United Aviation for a 150 EUR handling fee, which was cancelled the day before.

Murcia 2024

Whilst this trip didn’t take place due to technical issues. I had handling arranged with Iberia for Murcia, and this was set to be the following;

• 39.43 for security
• 15.58 for minibus
• 95 EUR for Operations.

AENA came back to me that a PPR number was required for LEMI. Airport fees would likely be 161.68 EUR – As per the AIP, Due to the civil parking capacity, general aviation flights, training flights, air taxis and photo flights must request an airport SLOT before submitting the flight plan and at least 24 HR before departure from the airport of origin.

This is a local restriction and thus a potential barrier to El Cheapo, as “Handler” has to request it.

Summary

This is a rather complex subject and is trivial, but in some cases can work effectively. It shouldn’t be but sadly it is and there are many loopholes described above how Ramp Agents and individual airports will prevent you from doing business with them. It seems rather silly, but whilst they can’t ban you, local restrictions and the health and safety argument; along with airport security which cannot be disputed means that you will likely have a challenge to fly in and out in a light aircraft without significant costs.

I will continue to update this as I fly in and out of Spanish Airports in the future and with any gotchas or updates that I come across. I will venture to keep this blog updated as part of the IFR guide to Europe.

Version 1.0 – Last Updated 16/09/2024

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