SPO.OP.131 Fuel and oil supply — helicopters

SI No. 1290/2024

Text in magenta in force from 30 October 2025

  1. The pilot-in-command shall only commence a flight if the helicopter carries sufficient fuel and oil for the following:

    1. for VFR flights:

      1. to fly to the aerodrome/operating site of intended landing and thereafter to fly for at least 20 minutes at best-range-speed; or

      2. for VFR flights by day, a reserve fuel of 10 minutes at best-range-speed provided the he/she remains within 25 NM of the aerodrome/operating site of departure; and

    2. for IFR flights:

      1. when no alternate is required or no weather-permissible alternate aerodrome is available, to fly to the aerodrome/operating site of intended landing, and thereafter to fly for 30 minutes at normal cruising speed at 450 m (1500 ft) above the destination aerodrome/operating site under standard temperature conditions and approach and land; or

      2. when an alternate is required, to fly to and execute an approach and a missed approach at the aerodrome/operating site of intended landing, and thereafter:

        1. to fly to the specified alternate; and

        2. to fly for 30 minutes at normal holding speed at 450 m (1500 ft) above the alternate aerodrome/operating site under standard temperature conditions and approach and land.

  2. In computing the fuel required, including providing for contingency, the following shall be taken into consideration:

    1. forecast meteorological conditions;

    2. anticipated ATC routings and traffic delays;

    3. failure of one engine while en-route, where applicable; and

    4. any other condition that may delay the landing of the aircraft or increase fuel and/or oil consumption.

  3. Nothing shall preclude amendment of a flight plan in-flight, in order to re-plan the flight to another destination, provided that all requirements can be complied with from the point where the flight is re-planned.

The title and text below will replace the text above on 30 October 2025:

SPO.OP.131 – Fuel scheme – fuel or energy planning and in flight replanning policy - aeroplanes and helicopters

  1. As part of the fuel scheme, the operator must establish a fuel or energy planning and in-flight replanning policy to ensure that the aircraft carries a sufficient amount of usable fuel or energy to safely complete the planned flight and to allow for deviations from the planned operation.

  2. The operator must ensure that the fuel or energy planning of flights is based upon at least the following elements:

    1. procedures contained in the operation manual as well as:

      1. current aircraft specific data derived from a fuel or energy consumption monitoring system or, if not available;

      2. data provided by the aircraft manufacturer; and

    2. the operating conditions under which the flight is to be conducted including:

      1. aircraft fuel or energy consumption data;

      2. anticipated masses;

      3. anticipated weather conditions;

      4. the effects of deferred maintenance items, or configuration deviations, or both; and

      5. anticipated delays.

  3. For aeroplanes, the operator must ensure that the pre-flight calculation of the usable fuel or energy that is required for a flight includes:

    1. taxi fuel or energy that is not less than the amount expected to be used prior to takeoff;

    2. trip fuel or energy that must be the amount of fuel or energy that is 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 to compensate for the lack of a destination alternate aerodrome;

    5. final reserve fuel or energy that must be protected to ensure a safe landing; the operator must take into account points (i) and (ii), in that priority order, to determine the quantity of the final reserve of fuel or energy:

      1. the severity of the hazard to persons or property that may result from an emergency landing after fuel or energy starvation;

      2. the likelihood of unexpected circumstances that the final reserve or fuel or energy may no longer be protected;

    6. additional fuel or energy, if required by the type of operation, which must be the amount of fuel or energy to enable the aeroplane to perform a safe landing at a FE ERA aerodrome (FE ERA aerodrome critical scenario) in the event of an engine failure or loss of pressurisation, whichever requires the greater amount of fuel or energy, based on the assumption that such a failure occurs at the most critical point along the route; 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 pilot-in-command.

  4. For helicopters, the operator must ensure that pre-flight calculation of the usable fuel or energy that is required for a flight includes:

    1. fuel or energy to fly to the aerodrome or operating site of intended landing;

    2. if a destination alternate aerodrome is required, destination alternate fuel or energy, which is the amount of fuel or energy that is required to execute a missed approach at the aerodrome or operating site of intended landing and afterwards, to fly to the specified destination alternate aerodrome, approach and land; and

    3. final reserve fuel or energy which must be protected to ensure a safe landing; the operator must take into account points (i) and (ii), in that priority order, to determine the quantity of the final reserve fuel or energy;

      1. the severity of the hazard to persons or property that may result from an emergency landing after fuel or energy starvation;

      2. the likelihood of unexpected circumstances such that the final reserve of fuel or energy may no longer be protected;

    4. extra fuel or energy to take into account anticipated delays or specific operational constraints; and

    5. discretionary fuel or energy, if required by the pilot-in-command.

  5. The operator must ensure that if a flight has to proceed to a destination aerodrome other than the one originally planned, in-flight replanning procedures for calculating the required usable fuel or energy are available and comply with points (c)(2) to (c)(7) for aeroplanes, and point (d) for helicopters.

  6. The pilot-in-command must only commence a flight or continue in the event of inflight replanning, when satisfied that the aircraft carries at least the planned amount of usable fuel or energy and oil to safely complete the flight.