FO-03 · Fuel Planning & Tankering · Airlines Process Wiki

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Process Flow Diagram (BPMN)

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L4 Process Steps

Step	Step Name	Role / Swim Lane	System	Input	Output	KPI	Dec?	Exc?
Phase 1 1.1	Ingest flight plan, route & forecast winds	Flight Dispatcher	Lido/Flight by Lufthansa Systems	Active OFP, SIGMET/AIRMET, upper-wind forecast (NWP model)	Route profile with fuel-burn model loaded; wind data timestamp recorded	Wind data currency ≤ 6 hours before STD; 100% OFP retrieval success rate	N	N
1.2	Calculate trip fuel, alternate & final reserve	Flight Dispatcher	Lido/Flight by Lufthansa Systems	Route profile, aircraft type/registration, payload estimate, alternate airport selection	Trip fuel, alternate fuel, and final reserve fuel (FRF) values in USG/kg	Fuel calculation accuracy ±1% vs. actual block burn; alternate fuel covers closest suitable alternate per ops spec	N	N
1.3	Apply regulatory minimum fuel policy	Flight Dispatcher	Lido/Flight by Lufthansa Systems	Trip fuel, alternate fuel, FRF; ETOPS/EDTO authorisation if applicable; company fuel policy	Regulatory minimum block fuel (FAR 121.639 / ICAO Annex 6 compliant); ETOPS ERA fuel added where required	100% regulatory compliance; zero dispatches with sub-minimum fuel on record	N	Y
1.4	Validate fuel load against MTOW & payload limits	Flight Dispatcher	Lido/Flight by Lufthansa Systems + Weight & Balance System	Planned fuel load, estimated payload (pax + cargo + mail), aircraft MTOW/MLW/MZFW limits	Approved fuel quantum; or payload-fuel trade decision with affected bookings flagged	Revenue payload protection ≥ 95% of booked payload on MTOW-limited sectors	Y	Y
Phase 2 2.1	Query into-plane fuel prices at origin & destination	Fuel Planning Analyst	Aviator Fuel Intelligence (AvFuel) / SAP S/4HANA Finance (FI/CO)	Flight date, origin/destination ICAO codes, fuel supplier contract references	Into-plane fuel price per USG/kg at origin and destination; contract vs. spot price flagged	Price data latency ≤ 24 hours; contract uplift preference achieved ≥ 95% of uplifts	N	N
2.2	Model tankering NPV versus weight penalty cost	Fuel Planning Analyst	Aviator Fuel Intelligence (AvFuel) / Lido/Flight by Lufthansa Systems	Price differential (origin vs. destination), extra fuel weight, aircraft fuel-burn profile at gross weight	Net tankering value in USD per flight; break-even uplift quantity identified	Tankering model accuracy: positive NPV realised ≥ 90% of cases where model predicted benefit > $150	N	N
2.3	Approve or reject tankering uplift quantity	Fuel Planning Analyst / Duty Manager	Aviator Fuel Intelligence (AvFuel)	Tankering NPV, aircraft structural maximum fuel load, available turnaround time, payload outlook	Approved tankering quantity (USG) or 'No tankering' decision recorded with rationale	Tankering uplift decision issued ≥ 90 minutes before STD; decisions documented 100%	Y	Y
2.4	Finalise planned uplift quantity on OFP	Flight Dispatcher	Lido/Flight by Lufthansa Systems	Regulatory minimum fuel, tankering decision, captain's discretionary fuel allowance (if pre-authorised)	Final planned uplift quantity on signed OFP; fuel release document generated	Planned vs. actual uplift variance ≤ 2%; OFP fuel release issued ≥ 60 minutes before STD	N	N
Phase 3 3.1	Transmit fuel release order to into-plane supplier	Flight Dispatcher	SITA FuelsManager / Telex (SITA ACARS)	Fuel release document: planned uplift quantity, aircraft registration, parking stand, STD	Fuel order transmitted; supplier acknowledgement received with ETA	Order transmitted ≥ 60 minutes before fuelling start; supplier ACK received ≤ 15 minutes of transmission	N	N
3.2	Confirm truck dispatch and stand assignment	Ground Handler / Fuelling Supervisor	SITA Airport Management System (AMS)	Fuel order, aircraft stand/gate assignment, turnaround schedule	Fuel truck dispatched; confirmed ETA to aircraft stand	Truck on-stand ≤ 20 minutes before scheduled fuelling start; zero missed fuelling windows due to late truck	N	N
3.3	Validate fuelling window against turnaround schedule	Operations Controller	SITA Airport Management System (AMS)	Truck ETA, aircraft block-in time, turnaround milestones, STD	Fuelling window confirmed; or expedite request issued to handler with revised fuelling start	Fuelling completed ≥ 20 minutes before STD; fuelling-related departure delays < 0.5% of turns	Y	Y
Phase 4 4.1	Perform pre-fuelling fuel quality sample check	Fuelling Agent / Quality Inspector	Fuel Quality Management log (AMOS by Swiss AviationSoftware at MRO bases; paper logbook at outstations)	Fuel sample drawn from tanker drain or hydrant pit; density meter; water-detection paste	Pass/fail quality certificate; density (kg/L) and temperature recorded; release-to-aircraft signed	100% pre-fuelling sample compliance; zero aircraft fuelled without a logged pass certificate	Y	Y
4.2	Execute fuel uplift to planned quantity	Fuelling Agent	Fuel truck flow meter / Aircraft fuel gauging system (ACARS uplink)	Approved uplift quantity, current fuel-on-board from aircraft gauges, truck flow meter	Actual uplift quantity delivered; aircraft fuel gauges confirmed at target level	Uplift accuracy ±1% of planned quantity; zero over/under-fuelling events per month	N	N
4.3	Record actual uplift in tech log and transmit via ACARS	Fuelling Agent / Line Maintenance Engineer	AMOS by Swiss AviationSoftware + Telex / SITA ACARS	Flow meter final reading, aircraft gauge reading, fueller's delivery receipt	Actual uplift entered in aircraft tech log; ACARS fuel completion message sent to OCC and dispatcher	ACARS fuel message transmitted ≤ 5 minutes after fuelling complete; tech log discrepancy rate < 1%	N	N
Phase 5 5.1	Dispatcher briefs captain on OFP fuel plan & alternates	Flight Dispatcher	Lido/Flight by Lufthansa Systems (OFP) + SITA ACARS Datalink	Finalised OFP, actual fuel onboard, latest weather update, active NOTAMs, alternate aerodrome status	Captain briefed; OFP reviewed and queried or ready for signature	Dispatcher briefing completed ≥ 30 minutes before STD; zero departures without dispatcher-signed OFP	N	N
5.2	Captain accepts or requests additional discretionary fuel	Captain (Pilot in Command)	Aircraft fuel management panel / Jeppesen FliteDeck Pro (EFB)	OFP fuel plan, personal weather/routing assessment, alternate viability, ATC restriction outlook	Captain's fuel decision; discretionary addition quantity and rationale (if fuel added)	Average captain discretionary addition ≤ 5% of trip fuel; additions above 10% flagged for safety review	Y	N
5.3	Finalise load sheet with captain-approved fuel figures	Load Controller / Flight Dispatcher	Lido/Flight by Lufthansa Systems + Amadeus Altéa PSS (load control module)	Captain-approved fuel quantity, actual payload (pax + baggage + cargo), aircraft zero-fuel weight	Finalised load sheet signed; OFP fuel figures locked; departure clearance issued to captain	Load sheet issued ≤ 15 minutes before STD; 100% OFP/load-sheet fuel figure consistency	N	N
5.4	Transmit departure fuel state to Operations Control Centre	Flight Dispatcher	SITA ACARS Datalink + OCC Operations Dashboard (AWS-hosted)	Final block fuel figures, actual departure time, gate/stand number	OCC fuel state record updated; block-off fuel confirmed and archived for post-flight analysis	OCC fuel state updated ≤ 5 minutes of block-off; 100% ACARS message delivery rate	N	Y

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Process Attributes

Identification

Process IDFO-03

L1 DomainFlight Operations

L2 ProcessFlight Dispatch & Control

L3 NameFuel Planning & Tankering

L4 Steps18 across 5 phases

Decision Gates5 (all with iteration loops)

Exceptions6 documented

Swim Lanes (Roles)

Flight Dispatcher

Fuel Planning Analyst

Fuel Planning Analyst / Duty Manager

Ground Handler / Fuelling Supervisor

Operations Controller

Fuelling Agent / Quality Inspector

Fuelling Agent

Fuelling Agent / Line Maintenance Engineer

Captain (Pilot in Command)

Load Controller / Flight Dispatcher

Systems & Tools

Lido/Flight by Lufthansa SystemsLido/Flight by Lufthansa Systems + Weight & Balance SystemAviator Fuel Intelligence (AvFuel) / SAP S/4HANA Finance (FI/CO)Aviator Fuel Intelligence (AvFuel) / Lido/Flight by Lufthansa SystemsAviator Fuel Intelligence (AvFuel)SITA FuelsManager / Telex (SITA ACARS)SITA Airport Management System (AMS)Fuel Quality Management log (AMOS by Swiss AviationSoftware at MRO bases; paper logbook at outstations)Fuel truck flow meter / Aircraft fuel gauging system (ACARS uplink)AMOS by Swiss AviationSoftware + Telex / SITA ACARSLido/Flight by Lufthansa Systems (OFP) + SITA ACARS DatalinkAircraft fuel management panel / Jeppesen FliteDeck Pro (EFB)Lido/Flight by Lufthansa Systems + Amadeus Altéa PSS (load control module)SITA ACARS Datalink + OCC Operations Dashboard (AWS-hosted)

Key Performance Indicators

Ingest flight plan, route & forecast windsWind data currency ≤ 6 hours before STD; 100% OFP retrieval success rate

Calculate trip fuel, alternate & final reserveFuel calculation accuracy ±1% vs. actual block burn; alternate fuel covers closest suitable alternate per ops spec

Apply regulatory minimum fuel policy100% regulatory compliance; zero dispatches with sub-minimum fuel on record

Validate fuel load against MTOW & payload limitsRevenue payload protection ≥ 95% of booked payload on MTOW-limited sectors

Query into-plane fuel prices at origin & destinationPrice data latency ≤ 24 hours; contract uplift preference achieved ≥ 95% of uplifts

Model tankering NPV versus weight penalty costTankering model accuracy: positive NPV realised ≥ 90% of cases where model predicted benefit > $150

Approve or reject tankering uplift quantityTankering uplift decision issued ≥ 90 minutes before STD; decisions documented 100%

Finalise planned uplift quantity on OFPPlanned vs. actual uplift variance ≤ 2%; OFP fuel release issued ≥ 60 minutes before STD

Airline-Specific Risks & Pain Points

NWP upper-wind refresh is 6-hourly; stale data can inflate or underestimate trip fuel by 2–4%, with no automatic dispatcher alert when forecast age exceeds threshold

Aircraft performance deck must be updated after each engine shop visit or EFW change; stale performance model causes systematic over/under-fuelling accumulating to 0.5–1% fuel cost variance fleet-wide

ETOPS 180-min routes require En-Route Alternate (ERA) fuel that must be recalculated if the ERA changes post-OFP publication due to NOTAM or weather; no automated re-trigger in Lido when ERA status changes after release

MTOW-limited flights at hot/high airports (e.g. LAS in summer, BOG year-round) force late payload offload; no automated interface between Lido and PSS to surface the constraint earlier in the booking cycle

Fuel price APIs from major suppliers (BP, Shell, World Fuel Services) vary in latency and data format; feed outages require manual extraction from supplier portals, creating price data gaps that default the model to stale contract rates

Weight-penalty calculation in simplified models assumes linear burn increase, but penalty is non-linear at high gross weights; simplified model can overstate tankering benefit by 5–10% on heavy flights, leading to sub-optimal decisions

Inputs / Outputs

Primary InputActive OFP, SIGMET/AIRMET, upper-wind forecast (NWP model)

Primary OutputOCC fuel state record updated; block-off fuel confirmed and archived for post-flight analysis

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