Universal Weather launches new system to calculate fuel tankering and saving cost

The company says this is the first such flight planning system to be able to perform these calculations in conjunction with an aviation

contract fuel program.

“UVflightplanner.com users will now have the ability to perform, at no additional cost, automatic fuel tankering calculations with every flight plan they create in the system. This information will empower them to make decisions that will ultimately reduce their costs on fuel purchases,” said Randy Stephens, Senior Director, Specialty Products. “With just a few clicks, operators will be able to accurately determine how much fuel can profitably be carried. For example, when fuel prices differ between airports, it might be worth uplifting more fuel where it is less expensive, even when taking into account the cost of extra trip fuel needed to carry the extra weight.”

Stephens said this new enhancement is a result of Universal identifying a need in the industry and developing a value-added solution that would benefit its clients. Many of the stand-alone fuel tankering calculators currently in use in the market rely on the Great Circle distance, which is typically not accurate given the true path an operator flies. The UVflightplanner calculates the tankering distance based on the optimized flight path (and taking into account best winds), aircraft performance limitations and other factors. This results in more accurate estimated fuel burns and decreases costs. “For many operators, trying to calculate fuel tankering strategies can be a tedious, manual process,” Stephens explained. “Some operators spend hours using complicated spread sheets or

calculators, which make it common for human error to become a factor.

“Another benefit is our system has the ability to perform Runway Analysis and Weight & Balance calculations, which is an important step to take before making a decision to carry extra fuel.” He said.