Ryanair defends fuel-saving drive after website criticisms

RYANAIR HAS defended its current drive to save on the use of aircraft fuel against claims that it is putting undue pressure on pilots.

The company has instructed pilots not to carry more than 300kg of extra fuel, according to a memo issued to pilots.

Pilots have been told this figure is "a limit, not a target" and they should only carry extra fuel in exceptional cases. Carrying 500kg in extra fuel is described as "unacceptable".

The instruction has provoked criticism on the Ryanair pilots' website where, according to the Sunday Times, one contributor said it was "insane to push pilots to fly with the minimum fuel and take the risk of ending with a low-fuel situation".

However, a Ryanair spokeswoman dismissed the report as lazy and irresponsible. "These allegations are based on an anonymous claim from an internet chatroom. There is no evidence that any of these claims come from a Ryanair pilot," she said.

Ryanair did not allow fuel safety limits to be exceeded or reduced except in exceptional circumstances, she said. No pilot was allowed to fly with the minimum fuel level.

Although some pilots take on extra fuel on account of the recommendation by British civil aviation authorities to cope with 20 minutes' holding time over London, the memo states that this is a non-binding recommendation and: "Ryanair can statistically prove that 20 minutes' holding fuel is not required in LTN (Luton) or STN (Stansted). Therefore, it is not Ryanair policy to carry this fuel."

According to the spokeswoman, Ryanair has had only one fuel-related mayday in the past three years. In this case, the aircraft's destination airport and an alternative airport were closed due to adverse weather conditions; however, the plane nonetheless landed safely, carrying twice the minimum fuel required.

Under aviation rules, every aircraft must carry a contingency load of about 5 per cent of the trip fuel, enough to carry out an approach, divert to an alternative airport, or hold for 30 minutes above an alternative airport.

The Irish Aviation Authority says there was one fuel emergency this year where an aircraft had to divert to an alternative airport. Last year, there were two fuel-related maydays and three aircraft had to declare priority for landing because of low fuel.