Is a passenger aircraft always fully refueled or does the number of liters of fuel that are refueled depend on the destination, distance and other factors?

Answer

Good morning,

When we drive a car, we usually fill the tank completely. However, this is inefficient as we carry extra weight for the rides we do. Our car consumes too much. But for the sake of habit, flexibility and peace of mind, we do it anyway.

Passenger aircraft must raise money for the airline as efficiently as possible. A light aircraft consumes less. Hence the great importance of fuel planning. A new Boeing 747-400 (Jumbo) can carry a maximum of 216,389 liters of kerosene. Just always leaving with a full tank would be a waste.

There are many factors that come into play (not exhaustive):

*Length of the runway

* weather conditions

* total weight of the device and center of gravity position

*distance to alternate airport

* authorized flight routes

* the number of engines of the aircraft

* legal reserves according to regulations

* cost of the kerosene (sometimes better to take H/T fuel with you immediately)

* and of course the distance to the destination…

By the way, an airplane is fueled in kilograms of kerosene, not litres. After all, it is the mass of fuel that has energy value, not liters.

In the summer we get cheated at the gas station, we fill up with less energy. In winter we get a bonus there. More energy for the same amount. Actually, we should fill up Joules (kW) in a gas station instead of liters. Scientifically much more correct.

Sincerely,

Ivan Becuwe

KHBO – KULeuven Aviation