The growing U.S. Customs challenge for international operators

U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) clearance hours have been increasingly restricted in recent years at ports across the U.S. making it more and more challenging for business aircraft operators to return home from overseas and clearing U.S. Customs at their desired location and time.

Part of the reason for this is high and record traffic volumes at many ports, combined with infrastructure and staffing limitations by CBP – a challenge that continues to grow.

As a result, international operators often have to make an extra stop to clear Customs at a different port, where Customs services will be available at the time they arrive, before proceeding on to their final arrival destination. This obviously adds costs, time, complexity, and potential risk of something going wrong to the mission.

CBP Reimbursable Services Program helps address this

To address these challenges, CBP has developed the Reimbursable Services Program (RSP).

RSP allows CBP to provide additional inspection services upon the request of approved RSP partners at times when otherwise these services would not be available – i.e., pre-arranged overtime hours.

CBP services can include customs, immigration, agricultural processing, border security, and support at any facility where CBP currently provides services or will so in the future.

As of early 2022, there have been >250 companies approved as RSP partners, consisting mainly of airlines, cargo operators, FBOs, and some business aircraft operators for their individual home base.

There’s also one mission management company on the approved RSP partner list – Universal.

Universal becomes 1st mission management company approved for the U.S. CBP Reimbursable Services Program (RSP)

Customers working with Universal® Trip Support can take advantage of Universal’s RSP partner status at the following airports:

1. Austin–Bergstrom International Airport | KAUS | Texas
2. Bangor International Airport | KBGR | Maine
3. Bradley International Airport | KBDL | Connecticut
4. Charleston International Airport | KCHS | South Carolina
5. Louisville International Airport | KSDF | Kentucky
6. Reno–Tahoe International Airport | KRNO | Nevada
7. Salt Lake City International Airport | KSLC | Utah
8. Tampa International Airport | KTPA | Florida
9. Teterboro Airport | KTEB | New Jersey
10. Treasure Coast International | KFPR | Florida
11. Will Rogers World Airport | KOKC | Oklahoma
12. Francis S. Gabreski | KFOK| Long Island, NY
13. Republic Airport | KFRG | New York
14. Long Island MacArthur Airport | KISP | New York
15. Los Angeles International | KLAX | California
16. Chicago Midway International Airport | KMDW | Illinois
17. New Castle Airport | KILG| Wilmington, Delaware
18. Charlotte Douglas International Airport | KCLT | Charlotte, North Carolina
19. Cleveland Hopkins INTL | KCLE | Cleveland, Ohio
20. Indianapolis International | KIND | Indianapolis, Indiana
21. Memphis International | KMEM | Memphis, Tennessee
22. Miami Opa Locka | KOPF  |Miami, Florida
23. West Palm Beach | KPBI | West Palm Beach, Florida
24. Portland International Airport | KPDX | Portland, Oregon
25. San Jose International | KSJC | California
26. Westchester County | KHPN | White Plains, NY
27. Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport | KSAV | Savannah, Georgia
28. Charles B Wheeler Downtown Airport | KMKC | Kansas City, Missouri
29. Nashville International | KBNA | Nashville, Tennessee
30. San Francisco International | KFSO | San Francisco, California
31. John Glenn Columbus International Airport | KCMH | Columbus, Ohio
32. Cincinnati International Airport | KCVG | Cincinnati, Ohio
33. Spirit of St. Louis Airport | KSUS | Chesterfield, Missouri
34. Kansas City International Airport | KMCI | Kansas City, Missouri
35. Logan International Airport | KBOS | Boston, Massachusetts
36. Louis Armstrong International Airport | KMSY | New Orleans, Louisiana
37. Dekalb-Peachtree Airport | KPDK | Atlanta, Georgia
38. Fulton County Airport | KFTY | Atlanta, Georgia
39. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport | KPHX | Phoenix, Arizona
40. Baltimore-Washington International Airport | KBWI | Baltimore, Maryland
41. Miami Executive Airport | KTMB | Miami, Florida
42. Raleigh-Durham International Airport | KRDU | Morrisville, North Carolina
43. George Bush Intercontinental | KIAH | Houston, Texas
44. Pittsburgh Intl | KPIT | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
45. Albany International Airport | KALB | Albany, New York
46. General Mitchell International Airport | KMKE | Milwaukee, Wisconsin
47. Metropolitan International Airport | KBTR | Baton Rouge, Louisiana
48. Gerald R. Ford | KGRR | Grand Rapids, Michigan
49. Jacksonville International | KJAX | Jacksonville, Florida
50.  Lehigh Valley International | KABE | Allentown, Pennsylvania
51. Metropolitan Oakland International | KOAK | Oakland, California

This list will likely grow as CBP reviews batches of applications and amendments for new airports on a triannual basis. Our focus will be to add airports where our customers frequently need customs overtime solutions to afford them maximum flexibility in their operations.

In addition to making overtime requests for ports that Universal is approved for, our Global Regulatory Services team can help you apply for your own RSP partner status at other ports where you frequently need to clear.

Enhance your operational flexibility with RSP

To learn more about how Universal can help you with RSP, speak with your Universal Account Manager or visit our website.