Tankering

In aviation, tankering refers to the transport of aircraft fuel beyond what is needed for the outbound flight.

Instead of only filling up the required amount of fuel plus the prescribed reserves for a certain flight to get “from A to B”, tankering also takes so much additional fuel with you that you no longer need to refuel at your destination for the return or onward flight got to.

You can save money by tankering if the fuel costs at the destination are considerably higher. The advantage of cost savings for the return flight is, however, due to the additional fuel and the consequent higher aircraft weight - compared to the higher fuel consumption during the outward flight.

Depending on the reserve you have with you or the amount of fuel left on arrival, you can also reduce the time required for refueling when you are tanking . This is useful if you want to shorten aircraft handling (the so-called ground or turnaround time), for example in order to make up for delays. Whether the Tankering of each flight is useful or not, prior to departure from the flight dispatcher (Engl. Dispatcher ) calculated, and from the ramp agent checked and last instance the pilot decided. Software or tables are available for the precise calculation of the optimal additional fuel quantity.

Regardless of the cost advantages or additional costs, tankering is indispensable if the required fuel is unlikely to be available at the destination, is not available in sufficient quantity or is only of inferior quality. This is the case , for example, in some crisis areas or in very remote areas.

Tankering is only possible, however, if the aircraft is not fully utilized in terms of weight by passengers and cargo . The maximum take-off weight (MTOW) (at the place of departure) and the maximum landing weight (MLW) (at the destination) must not be exceeded. In addition, other conditions may have to be met, e.g. B. the permissible limits of the center of gravity ( weight and balance ).