Originally Posted by
Bigmouth
Every flight that dispatches is legally "safe". What differs is the "safety margin". And before cost cutting became the universal mantra "safety margins" were significantly larger. Didn't Malaysian land at LHR more than once a few years ago with something like only 15 mins of fuel left?
I am sure there are a number of documented cases about landing with less than minimum fuel world wide. Unfortunately some dispatchers may not take into consideration of relevant facts... extended taxi times or wx delays at busy departure airports, wx delays, possible re-routes while on long flights, arrival delays as a result of the departure delays... etc. Luckely these are rare instances where crews have the situational awareness to all factors before deciding on final fuel loads.