Contributor - Accidents and Regulations

Gordon Gilbert

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will withdraw the “landing rights” designation for Michigan’s Drummond Island Airport (DRM) effective September 30. This means that CBP will no longer service DRM for private international arrivals.

 


The agency has determined that continuing to provide services on a callout basis for private aircraft is “cost prohibitive and adversely affects CBP operations in the area.” On average, CBP inspected 55 arriving aircraft a year at DRM, or approximately one per week.

 


According to officials, CBP will continue to service private aircraft at Sault Ste. Marie (CIU) or Sanderson Field (ANJ); both are located about 60 miles west of Drummond Island, where CBP assets are already in place. Historically, CBP assigned seasonal staff to DRM to conduct small boat inspections. But the pleasure boating community can now report&nbsp;arrivals to Drummond Island and surrounding communities electronically.

 


Under CBP regulations, private aircraft entering the U.S. from a foreign area must first land at a landing-rights facility, user-fee airport, or international airport designated in their advance passenger information system (APIS) transmission. In all cases, permission to land—except in the case of emergency or forced landings—will be denied if the pilot of a private aircraft arriving from a foreign entity fails to submit an electronic APIS manifest.

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