Professional Pilot, January 2019

Uplifting fuel at DMK Don Mueang Bangkok Thailand is usually a straight forward process although commercial airlines always take fueling priority and delays at times are possible PROFESSIONAL PILOT January 2019 59 tions to be limited due to FBO or other restrictions and could end up paying 2 more per gallon than planned Be aware that some FBOs restrict GA fuel uplifts to their own trucks or certain favored suppliers FBOs at LTN Luton London UK for example may not allow competing fuel providers on their ramps At HKG Hong Kong youre dealing with a monopoly fuel situation with high pricing all but assured Taxiing over to the commercial side of a field for a better contract fuel price may not always be practical or possible At some more remote locations in India Central Africa or on small Pacific islands you may run into situations where fuel must be pre paid in advance Fuel releases are always recommended overseas to ensure fuel will be available and credit will be in place notes ITPS Sr Ops Specialist Curt Kurshildgen However if you land in Mexico with a standard fuel release you may be out of luck For uplifts in Mexico your contract fueler needs to also set up an ASA fuel release which may take 24 hours or so to obtain The ASA release will specify uplift location and tail number and must always be presented to the local fueler While day of operation uplift glitches are rare they do occur from time to time Your fuel release may have been forwarded to the main office at your destination but may not yet have been delivered to the fuel truck driver The fuel truck credit card machine may be inop particularly at some small and or remote locations In some cases you may be required to prepay for uplifts or pay cash upon uplift so always have Plan B credit options available Fuel releases are usually accepted without issue but this is not always the case particularly at 3rd world locations says Linebaugh We know a recent case where a fuel release had been issued the uplift was completed but then the fuel truck parked in front of the aircraft until payment in cash was received Best practice is to work with your ground handler and or fuel broker well in advance to understand all local fueling processes credit options and delivery restrictions Meanwhile always have back up methods of payment available Price is a consideration Aviation fuel pricing varies within the international operating environment depending upon the country local tax structure particular airport and individual supplier Within the European Union EU fuel can be expensive particularly in Germany considering applicable Mineral Oil Tax MOT and Value Added Tax VAT For example you may play close to 9 gal in Germany or Switzerland vs under 3 a gallon in Ireland Fuel taxes and additional charges can easily double the base price of fuel in many areas says Smith At WNS Nawabshah Pakistan you may pay over 10 per gallon for fuel while at ASK Yamoussoukro Ivory Coast fuel price may be over 11 per gallon Meanwhile weve been seeing fuel pricing north of 850 gal in the US Northeast Low fuel costs on the other hand are often available in Ireland parts of Spain the UAE mainland China Angola and much of South America Contract fuel arrangements often save you 2 or more per gallon but youll need to coordinate the appropriate fuel release and ensure the correct fuel provider hooks up upon arrival ISPs recommend checking with a number of contract fuel providers pre trip for best pricing as some providers offer better options at particular locations Also be mindful that cheapest price is not always the best option At many international locations you might save 1 2 or more per gallon using a commercial fuel provider rather than the traditional GA provider says UAS Fuel Procurement Mgr Mark Davies However although fuel cost is cheaper you may wait 1 2 hours for a truck to come over to the GA side of the field Using an FBO or a dedicated GA supplier costs a little more but theres a convenience factor to consider Fuel credit While some larger international locations do accept fuel cards on sight a fuel release will normally be required by the local provider With a fuel release credit is guaranteed to the local supplier You may also choose to use 3rd party credit either from your ISP or the local handler but there will be additional costs involved with these options Note that some locations still stipulate fuel be prepaid prior to day of uplift or paid with cash on the ramp Although these circumstances are becoming rarer and rarer pre payment is still mandated at some locations in Mexico Central Africa and elsewhere At some international locales across the world local suppliers do not extend credit or simply do not have credit available says Davies In such cases you may need to prepay While we dont recommend carrying large quantities of cash