Fuel Planning
Proper fuel planning is one of the most critical aspects of flight dispatch. Running out of fuel is the one emergency from which there is no recovery. This guide explains the fuel figures on your OFP and how they are calculated.
Regulatory Fuel Requirements
Every commercial flight must carry minimum fuel as required by aviation regulations. The standard ICAO fuel scheme is:
| Component | Purpose | How Calculated |
|---|---|---|
| Taxi Fuel | Engine start, taxi to runway, and taxi after landing | Based on APU/engine idle consumption, typically 10-30 min worth |
| Trip Fuel | Fuel from takeoff to landing at destination | Calculated by SimBrief based on route, weather, aircraft weight, and flight level |
| Contingency | Unexpected situations (deviations, winds different than forecast) | 5% of trip fuel (minimum) or 5 minutes holding, whichever is greater |
| Alternate Fuel | Fly from destination to designated alternate airport | Calculated based on alternate distance and expected landing weight |
| Final Reserve | 30 minutes holding at 1,500ft above alternate elevation | Based on holding fuel flow at expected weight |
| Additional Fuel | Captain’s discretion for known risks | Added when weather is marginal, ATC delays expected, etc. |
Block Fuel
The block fuel is the total fuel loaded into the aircraft before departure:
Block Fuel = Taxi + Trip + Contingency + Alternate + Final Reserve + Additional + Extra
This is the number you should set in your simulator’s fuel loading screen.
Reading Your OFP Fuel Section
A typical fuel section looks like:
————————————
TRIP 12,450
CONTINGENCY 623 (5.0%)
ALTERNATE 1,890
FINAL RESERVE 1,200
ADDITIONAL 0
————————————
MIN FUEL 16,163
EXTRA 500
TAXI 400
————————————
BLOCK FUEL 17,063
Fuel Monitoring During Flight
Good airmanship includes monitoring your fuel burn during the flight:
- At top of climb — Compare actual fuel remaining with the OFP’s planned fuel at cruise altitude
- Every 30-60 minutes — Check fuel remaining against waypoint fuel figures in the OFP
- At top of descent — Verify you have enough fuel for approach, potential go-around, and diversion
If your actual fuel burn is significantly higher than planned (e.g., due to unexpected headwinds), consider requesting a more favourable flight level from ATC.
Units
Fuel can be expressed in different units depending on airline preference and aircraft type:
| Kilograms (kg) | Most common worldwide; used by most Airbus and Boeing operators |
| Pounds (lbs) | Common in North America; 1 kg = 2.205 lbs |
| US Gallons | Used for some GA and regional aircraft; varies by fuel density |
JetStream Virtual displays fuel in the unit configured in your profile settings. The OFP always shows fuel in the unit set for the airline.