CAT.OP.MPA.181 Fuel scheme – fuel or energy planning and in‑flight replanning policy - aeroplanes

SI 2024 No. 1290

1. An operator’s fuel scheme for an aeroplane must:

   1. include a fuel planning and in‑flight replanning policy (“the planning policy”);
   2. ensure that the aeroplane carries sufficient usable fuel or energy to safely complete the planned flight with allowance for deviations from the planned operation;
   3. ensure that procedures are developed for the planning policy;

   4. ensure that the fuel or energy planning of the flight is based on:

      1. current aircraft specific data derived from fuel or energy consumption monitoring, or if that is not available;
      2. data provided from the aeroplane manufacturer.

2. The operator must ensure that the fuel planning of aeroplane flights takes into account the operating conditions under which the flight will be undertaken, specifically:

   1. the aircraft fuel or energy consumption;
   2. anticipated masses;
   3. anticipated weather conditions;
   4. the effects of deferred maintenance items or configuration deviations, or both;
   5. the expected departure and arrival routing and runways; and
   6. anticipated delays.

3. The operator must ensure that the pre‑flight calculations of the usable fuel or energy that is required for an aeroplane flight includes:

   1. taxi fuel or energy that is not less than the amount expected to be used prior to take‑off;
   2. trip fuel or energy that must be the amount required to enable the aeroplane to fly from take‑off, or from the point of in‑flight replanning, to landing at the destination aerodrome;
   3. contingency fuel;

   4. destination alternate fuel or energy:

      1. when a flight is operated with at least one destination alternate aerodrome, it must be the amount of fuel or energy required to fly from the destination aerodrome to the destination alternate aerodrome; or
      2. when a flight is operated with no destination alternate aerodrome, it must be the amount of fuel or energy required to hold at the destination aerodrome, while enabling the aeroplane to perform a safe landing and to allow for deviations from the planned operation; as a minimum, the amount must be 15 minutes of fuel or energy at holding speed 1500 ft (450 m) above the aerodrome elevation in standard conditions, calculated according to the estimated aeroplane mass on arrival at the destination aerodrome;

   5. final reserve fuel being the amount of fuel or energy that is calculated at holding speed at 1500 ft (450 m) above the aerodrome elevation in standard conditions calculated according to the estimated aeroplane mass on arrival at the destination alternate aerodrome, or destination aerodrome when no destination alternate aerodrome is required, and must not be less than:

      1. for aeroplanes with reciprocating engines, the fuel or energy needed to fly for 45 minutes;
      2. for turbine‑engine aeroplanes, the fuel or energy needed to fly for 30 minutes.
   6. additional fuel (where required by the type of operation) which must be the greater of the amount of fuel or energy to enable the aeroplane to land at a FE ERA aerodrome in the event of a FE ERA aerodrome critical scenario or an aircraft failure at the most critical point along the route that significantly increases the fuel or energy consumption. This additional fuel or energy is required only if the minimum amount of fuel or energy that is calculated according to points (c)(2) to (c)(5) is not sufficient for such an event;
   7. extra fuel or energy to take into account anticipated delays or specific operational constraints; and
   8. discretionary fuel or energy, if required by the commander.
4. The operator must ensure that in‑flight replanning procedures for calculating the usable fuel or energy that is required when an aeroplane flight proceeds along a route or to a destination aerodrome other than the ones originally planned includes points (c)(2) to (c)(7).