Story ID: 
Customs Clearance Expanded at Shannon
By: Chad Trautvetter
Caption: The U.S.
Word Count: 133
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency expanded the pre-clearance program that allows business aircraft passengers and crew to complete immigration and customs procedures in Shannon, Ireland, before crossing the Atlantic Ocean. It is now available to aircraft operated under Part 135, rather than just Part 91, and the facility’s hours have been expanded to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday through Friday and from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Additionally, U.S. officials will now allow one crewmember to remain aboard the aircraft to oversee fueling and catering, while the other crew and passengers proceed to the pre-clearance facility. When they return, the supervising crewmember is escorted to the CBP post for inspection. Once cleared in Shannon, operators have to fly into one of some 230 designated U.S. airports.