Rockwell Collins launches fuel planning service for business aviation operators

Rockwell Collins has introduced a new fuel planning service – unique to the industry – that helps business operators determine the optimal amount of fuel to carry on board for multi-leg journeys, an industry practice commonly known as “tankering.”

Pilots and flight planners can use the new feature—available at the ARINCDirect online customer portal—to assess the benefit of purchasing fuel at a lower price during one leg of a trip versus the cost of carrying the extra weight of that fuel for the entire flight. In addition to fuel prices, other factors that can impact the cost of a trip such as minimum uplift to avoid ramp fees and aircraft performance limitations can be analyzed. The new feature supports 170 currency conversions and weight calculated in kilograms, allowing tankering for international trips.

“Fuel is often the number one operating expense incurred by flight departments, and prices can vary considerably at different locations,” said Bob Richard, staff vice president, ARINCDirect for Rockwell Collins. “This new tankering feature is fully integrated with our online flight planning system and allows up to 15 legs of a trip to be analyzed at once, which can dramatically reduce fuel costs—and save time—for our customers.”