VFR to Croatia, North Macedonia and Greece

Text und Fotos: Declan Daly
Note: wir haben bewusst Declan’s launigen Bericht in Englsicher Sprache belassen !

In the last week in May 2026 my daughter and I set out from Bad Vöslau for a full week of flying and exploring new places. This will have been the 6^th year that I plan such an aviation week and the last 3 years I had the pleasure of Catrina’s company who enjoys this week just as much as I do.

This year my planned destination was Greece. It has been in my mind for a few years however the lack of AVGAS and what I heard about a not so GA friendly environment has kept me from heading there in the previous years. Hence, 2026 was going to be the year.

The journey started Day 1 with great weather from Bad Vöslau to Brac LDSB. I have been there many times and it’s a very nice place to land and spend the night. We took the route via Slovenia crossing into Croatia at Rijeka and then following the Adriatic coast south past Zadar and Split to the island of Brac. Brac however can be challenging from a wind perspective upon arrival we had 20kt East winds gusting to 27kt. The approach to RWY 03 is really beautiful due to the fact that it’s on a cliff which gives an interesting visual effect as you approach the threshold. Wind sheer hit us on final approach so a Go Around was a clear decision and we landed on the second time around.

We stayed in the harbour village of Bol for the night. A lovely place with nice beaches and great restaurants.

Day 2: The next morning after completing customs and Passport control at Brac we departed following the coast south passing Dubrovnik to the West then Tivat in Montenegro before turning inland after entering Albania to cross North of Tirana towards North Macedonia. Keeping a coastal altitude of 2000ft and then 1000ft as requested passing Tivat we climbed to 7000ft to clear the mountain ranges bordering Albania and North Macedonia. Clouds were hanging low on some tops so we had to deviate slightly from our planned route to fly through some valleys to cross over. Ohrid is a very interesting city, one of the oldest in Europe. The infrastructure is still in need of a lot of investment but it has a very nice atmosphere with lots of reasonably priced small hotels and restaurants. We planned to fly out the next day however low cloud cover over both North Macedonia and Northern Greece meant that we stayed one extra day which gave us a change to get to know the town better and relax on the banks of the lake. Hence Day3 was spent in Ohrid. A general word of caution on Ohrid for VFR. I had it on my route for a number of years but always had to cancel the leg in the end due to low cloud cover and weather conditions. As for all VFR flights check weather carefully and have your alternates planned well especially if you need to refuel AVGAS. In our case Tirana was the alternate and would have been easily reachable if the cloud cover on the border mountain ranges was too low.

Day4: The next day was a beautiful VFR flying day so after refueling we departed for …. J. Well the original plan was to fly to Kavala LGKM for refueling after landing in LGAL to complete customs and then on to LGSO the island of Syros. As many of my pilot colleagues have already mentioned, one of the frustrating things about Greece is that despite Shengen they still insist on a first point of entry and exit at a large international airport where passport checks can be done. As far as I am aware it’s the only country in the EU that insists on this. This of course can affect your planning significantly since the large international airports typically do not have AVGAS so logistically you will have to land somewhere to do entry and at another airport to refuel. There are a few exceptions where you can do both and I list some of them here for information. LGIO Ioanninia  ans LGKR Corfu. Another point to note is that in Greece you always need a handling agent. Typically Servair or Goldair, both have AOPA member discounts which can make a huge difference in the price. Anyway, to cut a long story short after a few weeks of emailing it was not possible to get a confirmation for handling at LGAL. In addition to that on the days planned for Syros the wind was showing gusting to 40kts so change was clear. Instead, on Day4  we flew to the beautiful island of Kefallonia LGKF which was a great alternative and I can highly recommend.

On another side note, after take off at Ohrid Skopje ATC left us circling on lake Ohrid for about 20mins since despite an approved flight plan Albania did not have it in their system and refused border cross over. They found it later and then we continued.

The coastline from Corfu south to Kefallonia is truly beautiful passing over the island of Lefkada. It truly amplifies the passion for aviation and especially flying over open water. It’s a special feeling and perspective. The RWY in Kefallonia is easy to navigate and given that its mainly airliner traffic there is plenty of space. The usual advice for these international airports apply. Normally you will be given the Runway in use for the airliners and not necessarily based on wind direction. Pay special attention to the wind reading and don’t assume that you are being given an up wind landing. Do your own calculation and decide if you are able based on potential tail wind magnitude.

The beaches on Kefallonia are second to none. A one night stop over is certainly not enough but we’ll be back.

Day5: On day 5 our next destination was a short 1 hour flight to LGKR Corfu which was just as well because despite a confirmed PPR with AVGAS refueling from the Handling Agent at Kefallonia airport,  Kefallonia does NOT have AVGAS. With 15 Gallons of AVGAS in the tank and flying at only 2000ft north it’s possible to lean the DA40 to 8 Gallons/hour so nearly 1 hour reserve. Alternate was LGIO  a 20min flight from Corfu with AVGAS availability in case of Runway closure at Corfu. With a direct approach across the water we were approved for a direct in on RWY 34 without any holding which was perfect. The approach at Corfu is fascinating since the RWY has water on both sides so it was a wonderful experience.

Corfu town is a very lively place with lots of night life, great shopping and plenty of restaurants. For real aviation enthusiasts/nerds J we can recommend the Divani Corfu Palace Hotel. It overlooks the runway from the hill at the side and you can monitor all arrivals and departures.

Day6: The next day after a refill with AVGAS, yes Corfu actually has it (albeit very expensive), we departed to the North for destination Dubrovnik. End of May is a good time to visit Dubrovnik since it was not too overcrowded, and one could enjoy the old town extensively. We took the coastal route  passing Tirana and resort town of Durres. The flight took 2 hours. RWY in use was 11, we requested 29 due to wind conditions and after a short hold they squeezed us in on RWY 29 before the next airliner approached on RWY 11. Dubrovnik is a highly efficient airport. Handling is done by the airport authorities, so no handling agent needed.

Day7: Unfortunately, the last day of our trip had arrived, and we flew directly to LOAV which was a 3 hour flight. Our route took us over Bosnia, Croatia, and Hungary. We had to slightly change our route to avoid some towering cumulus build up at the Croatian border and flying between 7000 and 8000ft we landed safely at LOAV at about midday. Overall, a highly recommended trip with many new learnings and experiences and we certainly enjoyed our first time Greek VFR adventure.