Just learned, due to staffing issues, Northway will NOT clear any planes for U.S. Customs thru at least Jun 27!

Apparently Fairbanks or Anchorage are your only other options.

Suggest doing customs at Skagway or Ketchikan. From Skagway you could either go up the coast or file a flight plan and overfly Canada, landing at Northway, Tok or several other options—depending on range and weather of course.

great info!

Apparently this is still happening. Sending to PANC or PAFA. Not cool. If you have the legs you might be better going to SKAGWAY clearing customs, get fuel in Haines then fly back over whitehorse/Burwash etc to TOK. easier than going all the way to PANC or PAFA if WX allows

I heard through the grapevine that customs is somehow granting permission to land and get fuel at Tok, then clear later at Anchorage but I haven't contacted them to confirm. Anyone heard about that? I have to make the trip next week (week of July 8th) and was thinking about clearing in Juno, then Haines and on to Tok for fuel as suggested above. Apparently forest fire smoke around Fairbanks is bit of a wildcard too.

Yes, that's been the process for some time when they aren't available at Northway. The expectation is you'll fuel in Tok, then proceed to FAI or ANC.

FAI has a lot of smoke right now, btw.

MTV

Belloypilot wrote:I heard through the grapevine that customs is somehow granting permission to land and get fuel at Tok, then clear later at Anchorage but I haven't contacted them to confirm. Anyone heard about that? I have to make the trip next week (week of July 8th) and was thinking about clearing in Juno, then Haines and on to Tok for fuel as suggested above. Apparently forest fire smoke around Fairbanks is bit of a wildcard too.

My son flew the trench north last month and this is exactly what he reported, no customs at Northway, allowed to fuel Tok, ANC for customs

That's why I think Skagway is almost a better option than going to Northway if you can fly the leg from Haines to Tok. It's called a permit to proceed. But I guess while usually they are granted when requested they are being given regardless of what you want to do. Not cool.

What I would like to know is what if your final destination is Tok. Do you have to fly to Fairbanks or Anchorage?

mpm wrote:

Belloypilot wrote:I heard through the grapevine that customs is somehow granting permission to land and get fuel at Tok, then clear later at Anchorage but I haven't contacted them to confirm. Anyone heard about that? I have to make the trip next week (week of July 8th) and was thinking about clearing in Juno, then Haines and on to Tok for fuel as suggested above. Apparently forest fire smoke around Fairbanks is bit of a wildcard too.

My son flew the trench north last month and this is exactly what he reported, no customs at Northway, allowed to fuel Tok, ANC for customs

What was his intended destination?

update: called customs. The shortage is indefinite for the summer time frame. You have 3 options. 1) Fairbanks 2) Anchorage 3) wait to be cleared at Northway. Or..... 4) Skagway/Juno 5) Eagle Creek....

Thank you for that update! Sigh…I’ll get the new info up on fly2ak.com

ANC…Merrill

piperpainter wrote:

mpm wrote:

Belloypilot wrote:I heard through the grapevine that customs is somehow granting permission to land and get fuel at Tok, then clear later at Anchorage but I haven't contacted them to confirm. Anyone heard about that? I have to make the trip next week (week of July 8th) and was thinking about clearing in Juno, then Haines and on to Tok for fuel as suggested above. Apparently forest fire smoke around Fairbanks is bit of a wildcard too.

My son flew the trench north last month and this is exactly what he reported, no customs at Northway, allowed to fuel Tok, ANC for customs

What was his intended destination?

Merrill…