The return of customs clearance for international flights at Van Nuys Airport cleared a hurdle Monday after the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners recommended approval of an agreement between Los Angeles World Airports and Signature Flight Support Inc. on reimbursements for the costs of the program. The agreement sets out the terms of how Signature will make payments to LAWA that in turn are given to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for costs of staffing the customs facility. Customs and Border services are estimated to cost about $300,000 per year, according to a LAWA staff report. Van Nuys has been without on-demand customs agents since 2006, when they were pulled from there and Bob Hope Airport in Burbank for re-assignment elsewhere. Since 2007, airport officials backed by charter operators flying to international destinations have worked to get the agents back. Signature, a national fixed-based operator that supplies fuel and other ground support to private planes, has taken the lead on the customs issue. The company will pay upfront costs for hiring of customs agents to handle flights at Van Nuys and will spend another $225,000 to remodel a portion of its building for passenger clearance. Signature will make money through a user fee paid by charter operators. “We are excited about the business the customs facility will bring to Van Nuys, we’ve been working on this for over seven years,” said Eric Hill, area manager, Signature Flight Support at Van Nuys, in a prepared statement. Signature, based in Orlando, Fla. is owned by British company BBA Aviation plc. The Los Angeles City Council will next vote on the agreement. The airport commission will take up at a later time a memorandum of understanding between LAWA and the Customs and Border Protection agency addressing operational aspects of the program.