Facilitation — Page 460, Lesson 617

Let’s pick up right where we left off — we’ve covered the General Declaration, the Cargo Manifest, and the Passenger Manifest. Now I want to walk you through the remaining documents and procedures that make up the facilitation package, starting with the Stores List. The Stores List details the goods — whether or not they’re sold — that are intended for the consumption of passengers and crew, as well as goods necessary for the operation and maintenance of the aircraft. That includes fuel and lubricants. So think of it as the inventory of everything the aircraft carries that isn’t cargo or baggage — the catering, the spare parts, the fuel itself. The phrase “whether or not sold” is important: it covers both items that will be sold onboard and items that are simply consumed or used, with no commercial transaction involved. Next is Unaccompanied Baggage. This is baggage that travels on the aircraft but isn’t with its owner — the passenger isn’t there to clear it personally. Unaccompanied baggage is cleared under the procedures applicable to cargo, but in accordance with a simplified procedure. So it’s treated like freight for customs purposes, but with a lighter, streamlined process because it’s still personal baggage, not commercial goods. Then we have the Oral Declaration. An oral — that is, spoken — declaration is acceptable concerning the content of crew and passenger baggage. And a random inspection of baggage is acceptable. So the crew or passenger can simply state what’s in their bags verbally, and the authorities may spot-check bags at random rather than requiring a written declaration for every item. Now, Completion of Documents. Documents may be typewritten, produced in electronic data form, or handwritten in ink or indelible pencil — provided it is in a legible form, in block capitals. So the rule is about legibility and permanence: typewritten, electronic, or handwritten in ink or a pencil that won’t smudge or erase, and the handwriting must be in block capitals so it’s clearly readable. Next, the Number and type of documents required. States are not to require from operators more than three copies of the General Declaration, three copies of the Cargo Manifest, and three copies of the General Stores List. So there’s a hard cap — no state can demand more than three copies of each of those three documents. That’s a facilitation measure to keep the paperwork burden on operators reasonable. Then we come to Advanced Notification of Arrival. This applies to non-scheduled flights made by an aircraft registered in an ICAO Contracting State which wishes to land in another Contracting State for non-traffic purposes — that’s a second freedom flight, meaning the right to fly over or land for technical reasons without picking up or dropping off traffic. For such a flight, the submission of a flight plan is considered sufficient advanced notification to the State of Landing that the flight is to be conducted. However — and this is the key condition — the authority of the State of Landing will accept that flight providing the flight plan is received at least two hours in advance of the arrival, and that landing occurs at a previously designated international airport. So the flight plan itself doubles as the notification, but it must arrive two hours ahead, and the landing must be at a designated international airport. And where such addressees are required to be notified — customs, immigration, police, and so on — the flight plan is to be addressed to the appropriate authorities of the State concerned. So the flight plan gets routed to the right agencies, not just the aviation authority. Finally, we start on Crew and Other Operators’ Personnel — and that’s where the text cuts off. Let me show you the General Declaration form so you can see how all these documents fit together in practice. That’s the facilitation package — the Stores List, Unaccompanied Baggage, Oral Declaration, document completion rules, the three-copy limit, and the advanced notification requirement for second freedom flights. When you’re ready, we’ll continue with the crew and operators’ personnel provisions.