Is Fuel Cheaper in Cork than Belfast?

[korrol]

Just wondered if there's a commercial incentive for airlines serving both UK and Irish airports to refuel in the Irish Republic?

[CarbHeatIn]

Hi korrol

There is no hard and fast rule. Depends on the operator and the actual airfield. Some UK airfields will be more costly than Irish airfields and vice versa. The operator will make this info available to its crews so that they can decide on prudent fueling/tankering decisions.

[korrol]

Cork Metro Crash

There is a suggestion elsewhere on PPRune that the Flightline BCN Fairchild Swearingen Metro which was operating the Belfast to Cork service and crashed on its third approach on Feb 10th carried "trip only" fuel.

I'm not quite sure what "trip only" means in this context - but I take it to mean that the aircraft would have flown with full tanks from Cork to Belfast and only did a minimum re-fuel in Belfast for the return trip with a view to carrying out another full-tank refuel in Cork - where the fuel could be cheaper. Clearly most budget airlines would prefer to buy fuel where it's cheapest - but would these arrangements be part of their standard operating procedures?.

I'm not suggesting for a moment that the aircraft wouldn't have had enough fuel on board on the Belfast/Cork leg or that it didn't have adequate reserves for a diversion. It is reported in the Irish press that the investigators are examining the re-fuelling records of this aircraft but no doubt this would be a matter of course in any accident investigation anyway.

I was just raising the issue of whether there might have been some kind of operational edict to take-up just a comparatively light fuel load in expensive airports and a full load where the prices are lower. If that is the case, could it have possibly been yet another factor that the crew of this flight would have had to juggle with in weather conditions which, alone, would have put them under considerable pressure?

If this IS operational practice for some domestic flights within the island of Ireland then passengers might be entitled to ask what happens on similar round-trip flights like the Cardiff/Anglesey route where, presumably, it would be easier, (although not necessarily cheaper) to refuel at CWL rather than at the RAF Valley airbase. As a passenger I'd just like to know if there are some legs flown on full tanks and others where there's - just maybe - less of a margin.

[BOAC]

Originally Posted by korrol

As a passenger I'd just like to know if there are some legs flown on full tanks and others where there's - just maybe - less of a margin.

- post #2 explains your query, does it not? Yes it is 'standard practice' often to minimise the fuel uplift where it is expensive and maximise it where it is cheap. I can see no reason why ANY Irish airline would be different. There is no 'drama' in this if this is your concern.

[Engine overtemp]

korrol, wouldn't you buy petrol for your car at a cheaper petrol station? This is common industry practice and bears no relationship to whether the operator is a low cost operator or flag carrier, it keeps the costs of your tickets down!

It is very clearly laid down in legislation the minimum fuel that can be carried and airlines have no option but follow the regulations. It's not as simple as just the fuel from "A" to "B", there has to be extra fuel for taxying the aircraft, diverting to another airfield, holding fuel, and a percentage extra "just in case" (contingency) plus fuel if you anticipate using extra fuel consuming devices (APU, anti-ice etc).

Very rarely on a large aircraft will the tanks be full at departure as the weight of fuel + passengers + aircraft could well exceed the maximum allowed take off weight of the aircraft, and at the other end if you have too much fuel, you could exceed the maximum allowed landing weight of the aircraft.

[Piltdown Man]

Korrol - Most flights you go on will be "trip only" fuel unless there is a compelling reason to carry more, such as a large price advantage to carry round trip fuel. But you can only do that if your payload permits. In most cases, "Trip Only" or "Minimum Fuel" means the following: Enough to start engines and taxi, to take-off, climb and descend to your destination. Then have sufficient to make an approach, a go-around and divert to your alternate and then hold for 30 minutes, make another approach and then land. Then on the top of that, you carry a spare five per cent of trip fuel in case of unforeseen circumstances. When an aircraft is making repeated approaches, it normally means that they still have well above the minimum fuel required to divert and then hold for 30 minutes.

[Aaron-EIWF]

*** Pzfw 61276 ***
Flight Plan Fuel
Taxi/apu 0:12 150kg Mtow 74990 Etow 66281
Trip 0:53 2394kg Mzfw 61688 Ezfw 61276
Contingency 0:04 200kg Mlwt 65317 Elwt 63887

Resv/hold 0:30 1172kg S.h. Ttk Gdist W/c
Einn 0:30 1239kg 4.8 247 145 P16


Fpl Fuel 2:09 5155kg
Tank 0:00 0kg
Extra 0:00 0kg
Block Fuel 2:09 5155kg
Final Fuel .... .......

[silverknapper]

similar round-trip flights like the Cardiff/Anglesey route where, presumably, it would be easier, (although not necessarily cheaper) to refuel at CWL rather than at the RAF Valley airbase. As a passenger I'd just like to know if there are some legs flown on full tanks and others where there's - just maybe - less of a margin.

Sounds a very specific example you suggest, ulterior motive maybe?

FYI it is just as easy to fuel in Valley as CWL.