Fuel accounts for up to 80% of the running costs of operating an aircraft. For most operators, it is the single largest variable in their cost base. Yet many still procure it the same way they always have: a quick call to a familiar handler, an accepted quote, a release arranged, and on to the next task.
No comparison. No planning. No visibility into whether the price was competitive.
For an industry that scrutinises maintenance costs, crew expenses, and handling fees in considerable detail, this is a significant blind spot. The good news is that it is also one of the more fixable ones.
Operators who take a structured approach to fuel procurement, comparing live prices, planning tankering intelligently, and using the right tools, consistently spend less and operate with fewer delays.
This article explains how that approach works in practice.
Why Fuel Procurement Deserves More Attention
The scale of the cost is reason enough. When fuel represents up to 80% of aircraft running costs, even small improvements in procurement efficiency compound quickly. Half a cent per gallon sounds trivial. Across a year of regular operations, it is not.
The challenge is that reactive procurement is easy. Operators get busy. A familiar handler answers quickly, provides a quote, and the job gets done. There is no immediate, visible cost to not comparing. The overpayment is invisible, it simply never appears as a line on any report.
Operators who compare pricing consistently, across a broad supplier network, capture those savings as a matter of routine. Those who do not are, in effect, funding the difference.
The Problem with Defaulting to a Single Supplier
Headline Price Is Not the Whole Story
Price comparison in fuel procurement is more nuanced than finding the cheapest number on a list. The Into Plane Agent (IPA), the ground-based operator physically responsible for fuelling your aircraft, is positioned at a specific point on the airfield.
A supplier offering the most competitive per-gallon rate may be poorly positioned relative to your aircraft’s parking stand, resulting in a delay to your estimated departure time that costs more in schedule terms than the price saving justifies.
A useful procurement process weighs both factors: the price and the practicality. Fuelworx fuel procurement does exactly that, presenting operators with the options that balance cost and convenience rather than defaulting to the lowest number without context.
What You Are Not Seeing Is Costing You
At any given airport, the price spread between the most and least competitive suppliers can be material. That spread shifts with market conditions, seasonal demand, and individual supplier volume agreements. An operator who has not checked the market recently has no way of knowing whether their usual source is still competitive.
The cumulative cost of consistently uncompared procurement is real, even if it is invisible on any single invoice. It shows up at the end of the year as the difference between operators who managed fuel as a cost line and those who treated it as an admin task.
How a Proper Procurement Process Works
A structured approach to fuel procurement starts with access to a broad supplier network and live pricing data. Fuelworx works with over 100 suppliers worldwide, across both large branded fuel providers and independent suppliers, covering JET-A1, AVGAS, and other fuel types. With no preferred supplier obligations, the service is entirely non-biased: the objective is the best available price in the most practical location, every time.
For operators who want to go a step further, the Fuel Management Programme allows Fuelworx access to your own pricing data. This means that if your existing supplier network offers better pricing in a specific location, Fuelworx can request fuel through your own contracts rather than theirs. The result is a single managed process that covers the whole market, not just one side of it.
This removes the time-consuming work of organising refuelling and comparing prices from your operations team entirely. The request goes in. The best option comes back. The fuel release is arranged.
Tankering: The Strategic Opportunity Most Operators Miss
Tankering is the practice of uplifting more fuel than required for a single leg, specifically to avoid fuelling at a more expensive or less reliable location further along the route. Used correctly, it is one of the more effective tools available for reducing total trip fuel cost.
The difficulty is that tankering decisions require accurate, real-time pricing data across the full route. Without visibility of what fuel costs at each potential uplift point, the calculation cannot be made reliably.
Operators who are comparing prices at each stop as a matter of course are in a position to make that call. Those who are not will default to uplifting whatever they need at each stop, at whatever price is available.
A practical example: an operator departing a location with competitive fuel pricing, heading to a technical stop where pricing is consistently high, can uplift additional fuel at departure and skip the expensive intermediate refuel entirely or reduce it significantly. The weight penalty of carrying extra fuel must be factored in, but for many route and aircraft combinations the net saving is clear.
Fuelworx supports tankering decisions by providing accurate pricing data across the network, allowing operators and their flight planning teams to model the cost comparison before departure.
The Fuelworx Portal: Procurement Without the Phone Calls
The Fuelworx online portal was built to make fuel procurement fast, accessible, and auditable. From any device, at any time of day, operators can generate an instant quote, compare available options, and submit a fuel release request directly through the platform.
The system processes the release request and returns the document by email once confirmed. All fuel release documents are archived within the portal, giving operators a complete record for compliance purposes, cost reporting, and internal audit.
For operators managing AVGAS requirements, a fuel type that can be genuinely difficult to locate in certain regions, the portal covers sourcing across the same supplier network, removing the separate process that often causes delays.
Key features:
- Instant quote generation across 100+ suppliers
- 24/7 access from any device, anywhere
- Direct fuel release request and management
- Full document archive for compliance and reporting
- AVGAS sourcing alongside JET-A1
Request a portal account to get started, or access the live fuel portal directly.
VAT-Exempt Fuel for Commercial Operators
For qualifying commercial operators, Fuelworx can arrange VAT-exempt aviation fuel. This is not a marginal saving. Across a year of regular operations, removing VAT from fuel purchases materially reduces the effective cost of every uplift.
Accessing this benefit requires the right supplier setup and correct documentation. Fuelworx manages this process for qualifying operators, ensuring the paperwork and supplier configuration is in place before it becomes a problem at the point of uplift. Operators who are unsure whether they qualify should speak to the Fuelworx team directly.
Fuel as Part of the Wider Operation
Fuel procurement does not sit in isolation. The decision to tanker affects weight and balance, which affects performance planning. Fuel availability at a technical stop affects routing decisions. The positioning of the IPA affects departure timing, which affects slot compliance and crew duty calculations.
Operators who manage fuel through the same support structure as their flight planning, overflight permits, and ground handling give themselves a significant advantage. The decisions interact, and coordinating them through a single provider reduces the gap between what was planned and what actually happens on the day.
Fuelworx sits inside the broader Flightworx flight support structure for exactly this reason. Whether the operation is a private charter, a commercial service, or a cargo flight, the fuel piece connects to everything else.
Getting it right from the start, with accurate pricing and a managed release process, is one fewer thing that can go wrong between planning and wheels-up.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much can I save by comparing fuel prices rather than using a single supplier?
It depends on your operation, the routes you fly, and how consistently you are currently comparing. The price spread between suppliers at a given airport can be significant, and it changes with market conditions. Operators who compare across a network of 100+ suppliers as a matter of routine typically see meaningful cost reductions over time, with even small per-unit differences compounding across a full year of operations.
What is the difference between using a fuel card and using Fuelworx?
A fuel card gives you access to a fixed network of suppliers, often with pre-negotiated rates. Fuelworx operates across a broader independent network with no preferred supplier obligations, which means the pricing comparison is genuinely market-wide. The Fuel Management Programme also allows Fuelworx to draw on your existing supplier pricing if it is more competitive, so you are not choosing between one or the other.
How quickly can I get a quote and fuel release through the portal?
Quotes are generated instantly through the portal. Fuel release requests are processed by the Fuelworx team and returned by email as soon as they are confirmed. For urgent requests, the team is available around the clock.
What if my own supplier network has better pricing in a specific location?
The Fuel Management Programme accounts for exactly this. By authorising Fuelworx access to your own pricing data, they can request fuel through your contracts when your pricing is more competitive, and through the Fuelworx network when it is not. You always get the best available option.
Is AVGAS available through Fuelworx, and can it be sourced in difficult locations?
Yes. AVGAS is available through the Fuelworx network and can be sourced in locations where it is harder to find. This is one of the areas where having an established network of independent suppliers, rather than relying on a single branded provider, makes a practical difference.