This excellent thread cannot ignore the poor safety culture exposed by the need for triple fuel maydays. Since captain choice of fuel quantity is such a common event, consideration of that issue is more practical than, for example a B777 crash where few of us are actually current.
Many times, near minimum fuel would have had me concerned about the progress of my flights. I always removed those concerns with additional margin fuel. Airlines never queried my fuel choice.
Some airlines may seek to distance themselves from minimum fuel pressure and greater liability with company instructions like:
- Company policy is to take minimum fuel.
- More than XXX Kg extra requires a short report of the circumstances.
- Captain is responsible for safe fuel quantity for each flight. In the rare event that this fuel turns out to be insufficient, diversion for added fuel is accepted. If there is no suitable diversion airfield, conserve fuel and declare a fuel mayday.
What has happened in the last decade? The answer is to be found within pprune, where occasional bursts of clear thought collectively identify particular airlines that have yet to dramatically demonstrate their poor safety culture. Here we go again. Luck vs skill.
If one airline becomes very profitable by enforcing a particular culture on flight crew, that airline has the capacity to expand and take market share from other operators. To stay in business, competitors need to also take on board the profit based culture. As they do so the original particular culture airline needs to more aggressively expand its successful business model. Finally all have similar safety culture, subordinate to profit.
How can pilots and regulatory authorities, identify the degree of safety subordination and determine the minimum permitted level? Well, I think pilots have identified that unacceptable management pressure currently degrades safety. Now it is up to regulators to come to the same conclusion. The solution is clouded by other foreign operators being able to operate with poor safety cultures. I can think of one or two north asian airlines for a start.
EU administration is not well regarded by many, but somehow an enquiry and a united approach to the safety aspects of airline management is needed. Pilot representation is essential.