CAT.OP.MPA.180 Fuel/energy scheme – aeroplanes

INDIVIDUAL FUEL SCHEME

(a)Prior to submitting an individual fuel scheme for approval, the operator should perform all the following actions to establish a baseline safety performance:

(1)measure the baseline safety performance of its operation with the current fuel scheme by:

(i)selecting safety performance indicators (SPIs) and targets that are agreed with the competent authority; and

(ii)collecting statistically relevant data for a period of at least 2 years of continuous operation (note: the number of flights should be sufficient to provide data to support the intended deviation);

(2)identify the hazards associated with the individual fuel scheme and carry out a safety risk assessment of these hazards; and

(3)based on this safety risk assessment, establish a mechanism for risk monitoring and risk control to ensure an equivalent level of safety to that of the current fuel scheme.

(b)In order to ensure the approval of the competent authority and its continuous oversight, the operator should establish an effective continuous reporting system to the competent authority on the safety performance and regulatory compliance of the individual fuel scheme.

(c)When determining the extent of the deviation from the current fuel scheme, the operator should take into account at least the following elements for the relevant area of operation:

(1)the available aerodrome technologies, capabilities, and infrastructure;

(2)the reliability of meteorological and aerodrome information;

(3)the reliability of the aeroplane systems, especially the time-limited ones; and

(4)the type of ATS provided and, where applicable, characteristics and procedures of the air traffic flow management and of the airspace management.

(d)An operator wishing to apply for the approval of an individual fuel scheme should be able to demonstrate that it exercises sufficient organisational control over internal processes and the use of resources. The operator should adapt its management system to ensure that:

(1)processes and procedures are established to support the individual fuel scheme;

(2)involved flight crew and personnel are trained and competent to perform their tasks; and

(3)the implementation and effectiveness of such processes, procedures, and training are monitored.

(e)The operator should have as a minimum the following operational capabilities that support the implementation of an individual fuel scheme:

(1)use a suitable computerised flight-planning system;

(2)ensure that the planning of flights is based upon current aircraft-specific data that is derived from a fuel consumption monitoring system and reliable meteorological data;

(3)have airborne fuel prediction systems;

(4)be able to operate in required navigation performance (RNP) 4 oceanic and remote continental airspace and in area navigation (RNAV) 1 continental en-route airspace, as applicable;

(5)be able to perform APCHs that require an LVO approval and RNP APCHs down to VNAV minima; and

(6)update the available landing options by establishing an operational control system with the following capabilities:

(i)flight monitoring or flight watch;

(ii)collection and continuous monitoring of reliable meteorological, aerodrome, and traffic information;

(iii)two independent airborne communications systems to achieve rapid and reliable exchange of relevant safety information between flight operations personnel and flight crew during the entire flight; and

(iv)monitoring of the status of aircraft systems that affect fuel consumption and of ground and aircraft systems that affect landing capabilities.

(f)After receiving the approval, the operator should:

(1)continually measure and monitor the outcome of each SPI; and

(2)in case of degradation of any SPI:

(i)assess the root cause of the degradation;

(ii)identify remedial actions to restore the baseline safety performance; and

(iii)when the associated safety performance target is not met, inform the authority as soon as practicable.

FUEL SCHEMES An operator can choose between three different fuel schemes. For the development of each fuel scheme, the following AMC are applicable:

(a)Basic fuel scheme: all the AMC that apply to the basic fuel scheme.

(b)Basic fuel scheme with variations: 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.

(c)Individual fuel scheme: when an operator wishes to apply an individual fuel scheme, the AMC for the individual fuel scheme apply; for the part of the scheme where the operator still follows the basic fuel scheme, the operator should apply the AMC referred to in (a) and (b).

INDIVIDUAL FUEL SCHEMES — BASELINE SAFETY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (SPIs) AND EQUIVALENT LEVEL OF SAFETY

(a)Establishing the baseline safety performance of a current fuel scheme involves collecting historical statistical data for the selected SPIs over a defined period of time, e.g. a minimum of 2 years. The safety performance of the operator’s processes is then measured against this baseline safety performance before and after implementation of the individual fuel scheme.

(b)Agreed SPIs should be commensurate with the complexity of the operational context, the extent of the deviations of the individual fuel scheme from the current fuel scheme, and the availability of resources to address those SPIs.

(c)The following is a non-exhaustive list of SPIs that are used to measure the baseline safety performance:

(1)flights with 100 % consumption of the contingency fuel;

(2)flights with a percentage consumption of the contingency fuel (e.g. 85 %), as agreed by the operator and the competent authority;

(3)difference between planned and actual trip fuel;

(4)landings with less than the final reserve fuel (FRF) remaining;

(5)flights landing with less than minutes of fuel remaining (e.g. 45 minutes), as agreed by the operator and the competent authority;

(6)‘MINIMUM FUEL’ declarations;

(7)‘MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY FUEL’ declarations;

(8)in-flight re-planning to the planned destination due to fuel shortage, including committing to land at the destination by cancelling the planned destination alternate;

(9)diversion to an en route alternate (ERA) aerodrome to protect the FRF;

(10)diversion to the destination alternate aerodrome; and

(11)any other indicator with the potential of demonstrating the suitability or unsuitability of the alternate aerodrome and fuel planning policy. Note: Although the above-list includes quantitative SPIs, for certain non-data-based monitoring SPIs, alert and target levels may be qualitative in nature.

(d)Equivalent level of safety: SPIs and associated targets that are achieved after the introduction of an individual fuel scheme ‘should be equivalent to’ or ‘exceed’ the SPIs and associated targets that were used in the previously approved fuel scheme. To determine if such equivalence is achieved, the operator should carefully compare with one another the safety performance of operational activities before and after the application of the individual fuel scheme. For example, the operator should ensure that the average number of landings with less than the FRF does not increase after the introduction of the individual fuel scheme.

(e)The applicability of the individual fuel scheme may be limited to a specific aircraft fleet or type/variant of aircraft or area of operations. Different policies may be established as long as the procedures clearly specify the boundaries of each policy so that the flight crew is aware of the policy being applied: for example, the operator may wish to deviate from the basic 5 % contingency fuel policy only in certain areas of operations or only for a specific aircraft fleet or type/variant of aircraft. The safety performance of the fuel scheme may be measured according to the relevant area of operation or aircraft fleet or type/variant of aircraft so that any degradation of the safety performance can be isolated and mitigated separately. In that case, the approval for a deviation may be suspended for the affected area of operations and/or type/variant of aircraft until the required safety performance is achieved. Note: ICAO Doc 9976 Flight Planning and Fuel Management (FPFM) Manual (1st Edition, 2015) and the EASA Fuel Manual provide further guidance.

INDIVIDUAL FUEL SCHEMES — OPERATOR CAPABILITIES — COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS

(a)In the context of point (e)(6) of AMC1 CAT.OP.MPA.180, the availability of two independent communications systems at dispatch is particularly relevant for flights over oceanic and remote areas (e.g. when flying over the ocean without VHF coverage, operators need either HF or satellite communications (SATCOM)).

(b)Consideration should also be given to the operational control system associated with the use of the aircraft communications addressing and reporting system (ACARS). Two communications systems (e.g. VHF and SATCOM) should be used to support the ACARS functionality to ensure the required degree of independence unless the operator has established contingency procedures for reverting to voice communication only.

(c)Additional means of communications may be required by other regulations that are not linked to fuel schemes. Note: For further information, see ICAO Doc 9976 Flight Planning and Fuel Management (FPFM) Manual, Appendix 7 to Chapter 5 A performance-based approach job-aid for an approving authority (1st Edition, 2015).