Customs Hotline Channels More International Flights to So-Cal FBOs

FBOs around San Diego are receiving more overseas flights. The area's new user fee customs service enables certain flights to clear customs at FBOs without having to land at busy international airports.

By landing at FBOs, overseas flights also avoid costly and time-consuming customs processing at larger airports.

To ensure that aircraft operators take advantage of this perk, the County of San Diego's Airports Division and FBOs at McClellan-Palomar Airport (CRQ) recently teamed up and created a VIP phone line (877-848-7766) that transfers operators to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or area FBOs. CBP and the FBOs guide users through the process of securing an overflight permit from CBP. Overflight permits, which allow aircraft to bypass airports, can be issued within 24 hours in some cases.

Overflight fees are determined by aircraft size and vary from $50 to $500 during regular business hours. They are collected by FBOs and, in general, are paid by the aircraft operator.

Hotline number: 877-848-7766