fuel scheme and its effects on contingency fuel

Default profile image
Coskun Kosal • 1 August 2022
in community Air Operations
8 comments
2 likes

I have a question regarding the selection of the fuel scheme and its effects on contingency fuel.

GM1 CAT.OP.MPA.180 (b) “Basic fuel scheme with variations” indicates that “when an operator decides to deviate fully or partly from the basic fuel schemes, the AMC for basic fuel schemes with variations apply to the specific deviation.”

AMC1 CAT.OP.MPA.181 (c) (1 & 2) allows the use of 5% or at least 5 minutes of fuel above the destination.

AMC6 CAT.OP.MPA.181 (c) (1 & 2) allows the use of 3%, 20 minutes of cruise, or SCF, amounting to at least 5 minutes of fuel above the destination.

Is it not possible to combine these two, so that the previous application could continue?  For example, we currently use 3% ERA, 5%, or 5minutes and would prefer to continue to use these options.

However, we understand that if we wanted to continue using 3% ERA, we would be forced to use 20 minutes of cruise fuel as contingency if we do not use SCF.  Is this correct?

Comments (8)

Robert Gottwald
Robert Gottwald • 1 year ago

Hi Coskun,
there is no need to combine, you can apply requirements per AMC6 CAT.OP.MPA.181 (c).

AMC6 CAT.OP.MPA.181 (c) allows you to choose which one you apply for (c) (1). The higher of (c) (1) and (c) (2) then applies.
For (c) (1) you can apply either 3% ERA, 20 min cruise or SCF.
For example, if you continue to apply "3% ERA", that is then compared against the "5 minutes holding speed at 1,500 ft above the destination", the higher one then applies.

Default profile image
Ivan Milic • 1 year ago

[~3636] Hey Robert,

I wanted to follow up on your answer, just to make sure I got it right.

To put it in the context, we’re currently using 3% ERA, 5%, or 5 minutes. As you know, this doesn’t fit into either the Basic Fuel Scheme or the Variations Scheme.

Now, our question is whether it is possible to continue using the fuel scheme just mentioned by employing both Basic Fuel Scheme (i.e., 5% or 5 minutes of fuel above the destination) for some flights AND use Basic Fuel Scheme with Variations (3%, 20 minutes of cruise, or SCF) for another flights. The choice of flights would depend on the weather consideration.

In other words, our concern is whether we would be forced to always use either Basic or either Variation scheme (3%, 20 minutes of cruise, or SCF). As applied to Variations, this would mean that every time we don’t use SCF and are unable to apply 3% we would need to use 20 minutes of cruise fuel, as opposed to using more efficient 5%.

Thanks in advance,
Ivan

Reply
Robert Gottwald
Robert Gottwald • 1 year ago

My understanding per GM1 CAT.OP.MPA.180 is that when you deviate partly you only have to apply (those portions of the) AMC for basic fuel schemes with variations for the specific deviation. So you can obviously do 5%/5min by default (basic fuel scheme), and you can also do 3%ERA/5min (basic with variations) if you meet the requirements (incl. having it approved in your OM etc.). The way I understand it, it is not an "either one or the other"-decision in that sense. You can deviate only partly, so for the 5%/5min flights you have to apply the AMC for the basic fuel scheme, for the others the basic with variations AMC.
KLM asked the same question in the CRD (see attached image).

Reply

You are not allowed to comment on content in a group you are not member of.

View group

Air Operations

Public community
15688
Available to join Read more