Colt International supplies fuel to more than 16,000 business aircraft worldwide. Here, marketing director Joe Serrano offers advice for managing the expense of fuel.

Trip planning

• Implementing a good trip plan analysis will achieve optimum flight plan routings and the most cost-effective fuel stops.
• Use preferred airways, rather than great circle routes. A great circle route is direct – point to point – with no consideration for airways. A flight planned on preferred routes is more accurate, accounting for airways and country FIR boundaries, which affect distance, altitudes and fuel burns. When operating multiple legs, request several flight plan leg options to review. Mapping routes provides a visual aid of the area being overflown and possible refuelling locations and tankering contingencies.
• Use a veteran international flight planning company. If using a vendor for international trip planning, ensure it is credible and staffed with experienced flight planning experts. Automated trip planning systems don't account for the permit costs or other regulatory requirements.

Fuel price

• Timing is everything. Quoting a fuel price too far in advance can lead to surprises. Fuel is subject to daily, weekly and monthly changes. The best practice is to check fuel prices as close to uplift as possible.
• Pay attention to expiration dates, commonly overlooked in fuel quotes.
• Know what's in your fuel quote. Suppliers differ in price, but an operator must take into account taxes and fees when evaluating price. Ask for an all-in Jet A1 price inclusive of all taxes. Factor in handling fees.
• Perform a sample audit of your fuel supplier's invoices. The market is flooded with new fuel suppliers that may be intentionally or unintentionally invoicing a higher price than quoted. A trusted fuel supplier will work hard for you and invoice accurately. An audit by Argus International showed that Colt's invoices were accurate more than 99 per cent of the time.

Commercial or private?

• Properly define the aircraft classification. Particularly in Europe, classification can significantly change cost of fuel, depending on taxes. Private flights are administered VAT, mineral oil tax and flowage and excise taxes, commercial flights can be exempted from some or all taxes.
• Properly complete the fuel ticket. Ensure all fields are completed, paying special attention to the destination airport field. The fueller will not be able to tell if it is a domestic or inter-national flight, which may result in the incorrect fees. Commercial operators should present AOC or ACC and note on the fuel ticket this was shown.

Taxes

• A supplier with an active tax department is more likely to help operators take advantage of available tax exemptions. This can be complicated but tax experts are capable of helping operators recover funds from past and future uplifts. Operators with an active international fleet are likely to have significant opportunities for tax recovery and should look into implementing a tax recovery programme.