CAT.OP.MPA.181 Fuel/energy scheme – fuel/energy planning and in-flight re-planning policy – aeroplanes

BASIC FUEL SCHEME — PRE-FLIGHT CALCULATION OF USABLE FUEL FOR PERFORMANCE CLASS A AEROPLANES For the pre-flight calculation of the usable fuel in accordance with point CAT.OP.MPA.181, the operator should:

(a)for taxi fuel, take into account the local conditions at the departure aerodrome and the APU consumption;

(b)for trip fuel, include:

(1)fuel for take-off and climb from the aerodrome elevation to the initial cruising level/altitude, taking into account the expected departure routing;

(2)fuel from the top of climb to the top of descent, including any step climb/descent;

(3)fuel from the top of descent to the point where the approach procedure is initiated, taking into account the expected arrival routing; and

(4)fuel for making an approach and landing at the destination aerodrome;

(c)for contingency fuel, calculate for unforeseen factors either:

(1)5 % of the planned trip fuel or, in the event of in-flight re-planning, 5 % of the trip fuel for the remainder of the flight; or

(2)an amount to fly for 5 minutes at holding speed at 1 500 ft (450 m) above the destination aerodrome in standard conditions, whichever is the higher;

(d)for destination alternate fuel, include:

(1)when the aircraft is operated with one destination alternate aerodrome:

(i)fuel for a missed approach from the applicable DA/H or MDA/H at the destination aerodrome to the missed-approach altitude, taking into account the complete missed-approach procedure;

(ii)fuel for climb from the missed-approach altitude to the cruising level/altitude, taking into account the expected departure routing;

(iii)fuel for cruising from the top of climb to the top of descent, taking into account the expected routing;

(iv)fuel for descent from the top of descent to the point where the approach is initiated, taking into account the expected arrival routing; and

(v)fuel for making an approach and landing at the destination alternate aerodrome; and

(2)when the aircraft is operated with two destination alternate aerodromes, the amount of fuel that is calculated in accordance with point (d)(1), based on the destination alternate aerodrome that requires the greater amount of fuel;

(e)for FRF, comply with point CAT.OP.MPA.181(c);

(f)for additional fuel, include an amount of fuel that allows the aeroplane to proceed, in the event of an engine failure or loss of pressurisation, from the most critical point along the route to a fuel en route alternate (fuel ERA) aerodrome in the relevant aircraft configuration, hold there for 15 minutes at 1 500 ft (450 m) above the aerodrome elevation in standard conditions, make an approach, and land;

(g)for extra fuel, include anticipated delays or specific operational constraints that can be predicted; and

(h)for discretionary fuel, include a quantity at the sole discretion of the commander.

BASIC FUEL SCHEME — PRE-FLIGHT CALCULATION OF USABLE FUEL FOR PERFORMANCE CLASS B and C AEROPLANES The pre-flight calculation of required usable fuel should include:

(a)taxi fuel, if significant;

(b)trip fuel;

(c)contingency fuel that is not less than 5 % of the planned trip fuel, or in the event of in-flight replanning, 5 % of the trip fuel for the remainder of the flight;

(d)alternate fuel to reach the destination alternate aerodrome via the destination if a destination alternate aerodrome is required;

(e)FRF to comply with point CAT.OP.MPA.181(c);

(f)extra fuel if there are anticipated delays or specific operational constraints; and

(g)discretionary fuel, if required by the commander. The operating conditions may include rounded-up figures of fuel for all flights.

BASIC FUEL SCHEME — PRE-FLIGHT CALCULATION OF USABLE FUEL FOR ELA2 AEROPLANES For operations, take-off, and landing at the same aerodrome or operating site under VFR by day, operators should specify the minimum FRF in the OM. This FRF should not be less than the amount needed to fly for a period of 45 minutes. The operating conditions may be rounded up to a single figure of fuel for all flights. For the pre-flight calculation of the required usable fuel, a single roundedup figure for the particular flight is needed, which includes trip fuel, contingency fuel, extra fuel, discretionary fuel, and alternate fuel, to reach a destination alternate aerodrome if such an aerodrome is required.

BASIC FUEL SCHEME — PRE-FLIGHT CALCULATION OF USABLE FUEL The additional fuel required by the type of operation in the event of an aircraft failure that significantly increases fuel consumption at the most critical point along the route should be calculated according to the engine failure or loss of pressurisation, whichever requires a greater amount of fuel.

BASIC FUEL SCHEME WITH VARIATIONS — TAXI FUEL To calculate taxi fuel for a basic fuel scheme with variations, the operator may use statistical taxi fuel.

BASIC FUEL SCHEME WITH VARIATIONS — CONTINGENCY FUEL

(a)Contingency fuel variations are methods of reducing the basic amount of contingency fuel based on established mitigating measures.

(b)If the operator establishes and maintains a fuel consumption monitoring system for individual aeroplanes, and uses valid data for fuel calculation based on such a system, the operator may use any of the requirements in point (c) or (d) of this AMC to calculate the contingency fuel.

(c)The contingency fuel should be the fuel described in points (c)(1) or (c)(2) of this AMC, whichever is higher:

(1)an amount of fuel that should be either:

(i)not less than 3 % of the planned trip fuel, or in the event of in-flight re-planning, 3 % of the trip fuel for the remainder of the flight provided that a fuel en route alternate (fuel ERA) aerodrome is available; or

(ii)an amount of fuel sufficient for 20-minute flying time based upon the planned trip fuel consumption; or

(iii)an amount of fuel based on a statistical fuel method that ensures an appropriate statistical coverage of the deviation from the planned to the actual trip fuel; prior to implementing a statistical fuel method, a continuous 2-year operation is required during which statistical contingency fuel (SCF) data is recorded — note: to use SCF on a particular city pair/aeroplane combination, sufficient data is required to be statistically significant; the operator should use this method to monitor the fuel consumption on each city pair/aeroplane combination, and to carry out a statistical analysis to calculate the required contingency fuel for that city pair/aeroplane combination; or

(2)an amount of fuel to fly for 5 minutes at holding speed at 1 500 ft (450 m) above the destination aerodrome in standard conditions.

(d)RCF procedure: if the operator’s fuel policy includes pre-flight planning to a destination 1 aerodrome (commercial destination with an RCF procedure using a decision point along the route) and a destination 2 aerodrome (optional refuelling destination), the amount in the preflight calculation of the required usable fuel should be greater than the sum in points (d)(1) or (d)(2):

(1)the sum of:

(i)taxi fuel;

(ii)trip fuel to the destination 1 aerodrome via the decision point;

(iii)contingency fuel equal to not less than 5 % of the fuel that is estimated to be consumed from the decision point to the destination 1 aerodrome;

(iv)the amount of fuel specified in AMC2 CAT.OP.MPA.182: destination 1 alternate fuel or no alternate fuel if the remaining flying time from the decision point to destination 1 aerodrome is less than 6 hours;

(v)FRF;

(vi)additional fuel;

(vii)extra fuel if there are anticipated delays or specific operational constraints; and

(viii)discretionary fuel, if required by the commander; or

(2)the sum of:

(i)taxi fuel;

(ii)trip fuel to the destination 2 aerodrome via the decision point;

(iii)contingency fuel equal to not less than the amount that is calculated in accordance with point (c) of this AMC, from the departure aerodrome to the destination 2 aerodrome;

(iv)alternate fuel if a destination 2 alternate aerodrome is required;

(v)FRF;

(vi)additional fuel;

(vii)extra fuel if there are anticipated delays or specific operational constraints; and

(viii)discretionary fuel, if required by the commander.

BASIC FUEL SCHEME WITH VARIATIONS — LOCATION OF THE FUEL EN ROUTE ALTERNATE AERODROME TO REDUCE CONTINGENCY FUEL TO 3 % The fuel en route alternate (fuel ERA) aerodrome should be located within a circle with a radius equal to 20 % of the total flight plan distance; the centre of this circle lies on the planned route at a distance from the destination aerodrome equal to 25 % of the total flight plan distance, or at least 20 % of the total flight plan distance plus 50 NM, whichever is greater. All distances should be calculated in stillair conditions (see Figure 1). The fuel ERA aerodrome should be nominated in the operational flight plan.

Figure 1 — Location of the fuel ERA aerodrome to reduce contingency fuel to 3 % [Figure or form omitted from this preview — available in the Avioverse workspace library.]

INDIVIDUAL FUEL SCHEME — FUEL CONSUMPTION MONITORING SYSTEM A fuel consumption monitoring system should be data driven, and should include the following:

(a)a fuel performance monitoring system;

(b)a database that contains statistically significant data of at least 2 years;

(c)statistics and data normalisation; and

(d)data transparency and verification.

BASIC FUEL SCHEME TAXI FUEL — LOCAL CONDITIONS

(a)Local conditions, as referred to in point (a) of AMC1 CAT.OP.MPA.181, include NOTAMs, meteorological conditions (e.g. winter operations), ATS procedures (e.g. LVP, collaborative decision-making (CDM)), and any anticipated delay(s).

PLANNING OF FLIGHTS

(b)A flight should be planned by using the most accurate information available. If aircraft-specific data that is derived from a fuel consumption monitoring system is available, this data is used in preference to data that is provided by the aircraft manufacturer. Data that is provided by the aircraft manufacturer should be used only in specific cases, e.g. when introducing a new aircraft type into service.

FUEL CONSUMPTION MONITORING SYSTEM

(c)Extensive guidance on a fuel consumption monitoring system is provided in ICAO Doc 9976 Flight Planning and Fuel Management (FPFM) Manual, Appendix 5 to Chapter 5 Example of a fuel consumption monitoring (FCM) programme (1st Edition, 2015). As a basic requirement, the fuel consumption monitoring system (commonly referred to as ‘hull-specific fuel bias’) is a process of comparing an aeroplane’s achieved in-flight performance to an aeroplane’s predicted performance. Variations between the achieved performance and the predicted performance result in a variation of the fuel consumption rate, which should be accounted for by the operator during flight planning and in-flight re-planning. The fuel consumption monitoring system is used to determine an individual aeroplane’s performance in comparison with its predicted one. In no case, should data that is collected from one aeroplane be used as a basis for varying another aeroplane’s performance figures away from the predicted values. The data that is collected and used to determine an aeroplane’s actual performance should be collected in a manner acceptable to the competent authority. The operator should demonstrate that the data collected during in-service operation of the aeroplane is accurate. Where possible, the data should be collected automatically; however, manual recording of data does not preclude an operator from participating in a fuel consumption monitoring system. ANTICIPATED MASSES — LAST-MINUTE CHANGES

(d)Where appropriate, the operating procedures should include means to revise the fuel quantity and define limits to zero fuel weight (ZFW) changes, beyond which a new operational flight plan should be calculated. TRIP FUEL — ARRIVAL ROUTING

(e)POINT MERGE PATTERN When planning for a STAR to point merge, fuel for the direct STAR to the point merge should be included in the trip fuel. The fuel required to account for the probability that part of or the entire point merge route needs to be flown may be included in the contingency fuel unless there is an anticipated delay, in which case, the fuel required for the route should be included in the extra fuel.

(f)POINT TROMBONE PATTERN When planning for a STAR or transition including a trombone pattern, fuel for the reasonably expected route should be included in the trip fuel. The fuel required to account for the probability that an extended part of or the entire trombone pattern route needs to be flown may be included in the contingency fuel unless there is an anticipated delay, in which case, the fuel required for the trombone pattern route should be included in the extra fuel.

UNFORESEEN FACTORS

(g)According to its definition, contingency fuel is the amount of fuel required to compensate for unforeseen factors. Unforeseen factors are those that could have an influence on the fuel consumption to the destination aerodrome, such as deviations of an individual aeroplane from the expected fuel consumption data, deviations from forecast meteorological conditions, extended unexpected delays in flight, extended unexpected taxi times, and deviations from planned routings and/or cruising levels. Unforeseen factors may differ based on the type of fuel scheme adopted by each operator; the higher the capability of the operator, the fewer unforeseen factors there may be. For example, operators that have a fuel consumption monitoring system should calculate the trip fuel based on the individual fuel consumption. Extended unexpected delays or deviations from forecast meteorological conditions are mitigated by means of statistical data.

DESTINATION ALTERNATE AERODROME

(h)The departure aerodrome may be selected as the destination alternate aerodrome.

FINAL RESERVE FUEL

(i)The operator may determine conservative (rounded-up) FRF values for each type and variant of aeroplane that is used in operations. The intent of this recommendation is:

(1)to provide a reference value for comparing to pre-flight fuel planning computations, and for the purpose of a ‘gross error’ check; and

(2)to provide flight crews with easily referenced and recallable FRF figures to support inflight fuel monitoring and decision-making activities.

ANTICIPATED DELAYS

(j)In the context of fuel schemes, an anticipated delay is defined as one that can be predicted based on the information that is provided by the State of the aerodrome and/or ATS provider before the flight commences. For example, restrictions due to scheduled maintenance work on a runway are likely to cause a delay to the normal flow of inbound traffic. That delay may be promulgated either through NOTAMs or via the aeronautical information publication (AIP), including a specific time and/or date. Another example is an ATS procedure that requires an operator to fly longer routes, e.g. due to curfew during night-time.

DISCRETIONARY FUEL

(k)Discretionary fuel is defined as ‘fuel at the sole discretion of the commander’ (PIC). The commander’s discretion over the amount of fuel to be carried is independent and cannot be encouraged or discouraged.

IN-FLIGHT RE-PLANNING

(l)In the context of fuel policy, in-flight re-planning means voluntarily changing the destination aerodrome, any alternate aerodrome, or the remainder of the route after the flight commences, even when the flight can be completed as originally planned. In-flight re-planning has a broader sense than being obliged to change the intended course of action due to safety issues (remaining fuel, failures, bad weather conditions, etc.). In-flight re-planning allows the operator to modify the filed flight plan after flight commencement for commercial or other reasons. However, the modified flight plan should fulfil all requirements of a new flight plan. The use of en route alternate (ERA) aerodromes to save fuel should comply with the in-flight re-planning requirements. In-flight re-planning should not apply when the aircraft no longer continues via the flight plan route to the intended destination for reasons that could not be anticipated. In such cases, the in-flight fuel management policy dictates the commander’s course of action.

BASIC FUEL SCHEME WITH VARIATIONS — STATISTICAL CONTINGENCY FUEL METHOD As an example of statistical contingency fuel, the following statistical values of the deviation from the planned to the actual trip fuel provide appropriate statistical coverage:

(a)99 % coverage plus 3 % of the trip fuel if the calculated flight time:

(1)is less than 2 hours; or

(2)is more than 2 hours and no fuel ERA aerodrome is available;

(b)99 % coverage if the calculated flight time is more than 2 hours and a fuel ERA aerodrome is available; and

(c)90 % coverage if:

(1)the calculated flight time is more than 2 hours;

(2)a fuel ERA aerodrome is available; and

(3)at the destination aerodrome, two separate runways are available and usable, one of which is suitable for type B instrument approach operations, and the meteorological conditions are in accordance with point CAT.OP.MPA.182(e).

INDIVIDUAL FUEL SCHEME — FUEL CONSUMPTION MONITORING SYSTEM More information can be found in ICAO Doc 9976 Flight Planning and Fuel Management (FPFM) Manual, Appendix 5 to Chapter 5.

INDIVIDUAL FUEL SCHEME — ANTICIPATED METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS When determining the extent of the deviation in the area of operation, the operator should monitor the reliability of the meteorological forecast reports. The competent authority should consider restricting or even not allowing a deviation when reliable meteorological information is not available. To this end, tools to predict and improve the reliability of the meteorological forecast reports may be explored to allow for the intended deviation.