In
aviation
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...
, tankering is the practice of loading more
fuel
A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work (physics), work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chem ...
than necessary for a trip, to take advantage of lower fuel prices at the airport of origin, or when fuel is in short supply at the destination airport.
Tankering increases the weight of the aircraft and therefore total fuel consumption, however it can still reduce costs if the difference in fuel prices is great enough. Fuel prices can vary by over 50% within Europe, with price differences of 20% to 30% between major airports.
Modern
flight management system
A flight management system (FMS) is a fundamental component of a modern airliner's avionics. An FMS is a specialized computer system that automates a wide variety of in-flight tasks, reducing the workload on the flight crew to the point that mod ...
s can calculate the optimum amount of fuel to tanker for given origin and destination
fuel prices
The usage and pricing of gasoline (or ''petrol'') results from factors such as crude oil prices, processing and distribution costs, local demand, the strength of local currencies, local taxation or subsidy, and the availability of local sourc ...
.
In the
ECAC area, full tankering is performed on approximately 15% of flights and partial tankering on a further 15% of flights. According to
Eurocontrol
The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation, commonly known as Eurocontrol (stylised ''EUROCONTROL''), is an international organisation working to achieve safe and seamless air traffic management across Europe. Founded in 1963, Eur ...
, tankering on a typical 300
nm flight can increase fuel consumption by approximately 2.21%, and tankering on a typical 600nm flight can increase fuel consumption by approximately 4.66%.
Tankering can be limited by a need to arrive with a lower amount of fuel, to avoid exceeding the
maximum landing weight
The maximum landing weight (MLW), also known as the maximum structural landing weight or maximum structural landing mass, is the maximum aircraft gross weight due to design or operational limitations at which an aircraft is permitted to land. The M ...
, or to avoid
cold soaked fuel frost.
While tankering reduces costs for airlines, it increases fuel consumption and therefore carbon emissions.
Taxing aviation fuel does not necessarily help reduce fuel consumption, because by increasing the price difference between jurisdictions which tax jet fuel and jurisdictions which do not, it can incentivise tankering.
A European Commission report in 2021 proposed banning tankering, and obliging aircraft to uplift fuel at all EU airports.
See also
*
Jet fuel
Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel (ATF, also abbreviated avtur) is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by Gas turbine, gas-turbine engines. It is colorless to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for ...
*
EU aviation fuel taxation
*
Aviation taxation and subsidies
Types of aviation taxation and subsidies, and implementations, are listed below. Taxation is one of several methods to mitigate the environmental impact of aviation.
Types of taxes
* Airport improvement fee, paid by passengers to the airpo ...
References
External links
{{wiktionary, tanker
Aircraft operations
Aviation fuels