In July 2012, three flights from charter Raynair had to make a mayday call and ask for an emergency landing due to low fuel. Pilots anonymously declared to journalists that a catastrophic scenario was close to happening. Pilots are constantly put under pressure to take as little fuel as possible to save on costs. Other charter airliners are also forced to make an early landing request from time to time. How long can this last?

Airliners are under a great competitive pressure. Saving costs can only be done in a few ways. Apart from cutting on staff members and fuel costs, lowering maintenance costs is also a possibility.

Flying to Spain for 10 euros is attractive, but we should ask ourselves: is it wise? Benno Baksteen will elaborate on all aspects of fuel savings and the current regulations. He will discuss the positive and negative consequences of taking a “smart” quantity of fuel.