Fuel planning calculator.
Build block fuel the way CAT.OP.MPA.181 and .182 do: taxi, trip, contingency, then a destination alternate and final reserve, or the isolated aerodrome figure in their place, plus any extra fuel.
Fuel scheme
Enter every figure in the same unit. This tool does not convert between kilograms, pounds and litres, it only labels the number you give it.
Fuel breakdown
Every figure is in the unit you chose above, added straight up with no conversion. Reference is the EASA provision each line comes from.
Minimum required
11,050 kg
Everything the basic fuel scheme requires, before extra fuel.
Block fuel
11,350 kg
Minimum required plus the commander's extra fuel.
Take-off fuel
11,100 kg
Block fuel less the taxi burn.
Final reserve
30 min
Holding speed at 1 500 ft above the aerodrome.
| Item | Amount | Reference |
|---|---|---|
Taxi fuel Local conditions at the departure aerodrome and APU consumption. | 250 kg | CAT.OP.MPA.181(c)(1) |
Trip fuel Take-off and climb, cruise, descent and approach and landing at the destination. | 8,000 kg | CAT.OP.MPA.181(c)(2) |
Contingency fuel (5% of trip) A percentage of the TRIP fuel, not of the block fuel. | 400 kg | AMC6 CAT.OP.MPA.181 |
Destination alternate fuel Missed approach at the destination, climb, cruise, descent and approach and landing at the alternate. | 1,200 kg | CAT.OP.MPA.181(c)(4) |
Final reserve fuel (30 min) Holding speed at 1 500 ft above the aerodrome in standard conditions. | 1,200 kg | CAT.OP.MPA.181(c)(5)(ii) |
Extra fuel At the commander's discretion, on top of everything the rule requires. | 300 kg | CAT.OP.MPA.181(c)(7) |
In the EASA ATPL exam
Fuel planning sits in ATPL Flight Planning and Monitoring (subject 033) and returns inside Operational Procedures (subject 070), which carries the regulation. The exam rarely asks for one number alone: it hands you taxi, trip, alternate and holding-flow figures and expects the full block fuel total, line by line, in order.
The favourite trap is the contingency line, written as a percentage of trip fuel with a block fuel figure next to it so the wrong base gives a plausible answer. The second is the isolated aerodrome case: the final reserve is 1,500 ft at holding speed, but the isolated figure for a turbine aeroplane is normal cruise consumption and already contains the final reserve, so nothing is added on top.
Exam-style example
A turbine aeroplane, destination alternate scheme. Taxi 250, trip 8,000, standard contingency 5 per cent, destination alternate fuel 1,200, holding flow at 1,500 ft 2,400 per hour, commander's extra fuel 300. Find the minimum required and the block fuel.
- Taxi 250 (CAT.OP.MPA.181(c)(1)) plus trip 8,000 (c)(2), both given directly.
- Contingency: 5 per cent of trip fuel, not block fuel, 0.05 × 8,000 = 400 (AMC6 CAT.OP.MPA.181).
- Alternate fuel 1,200, given directly (c)(4).
- Final reserve, turbine, 30 minutes at 2,400 per hour: (2,400 × 30) ÷ 60 = 1,200 (c)(5)(ii).
- Minimum required: 250 + 8,000 + 400 + 1,200 + 1,200 = 11,050. Block fuel adds the 300 extra: 11,350.
Minimum required is 11,050, block fuel is 11,350, and take-off fuel, block less the taxi burn, is 11,100.
Common trap: Contingency comes off trip fuel, never block fuel: 5 per cent of the 11,350 block would wrongly give 567.5 instead of 400. The isolated aerodrome figure for a turbine aeroplane is normal cruise consumption above the destination, not the holding speed used for the final reserve, and it already includes that final reserve, so a separate final reserve line is never added when the scheme is isolated.
How EASA block fuel is calculated
The definition, the formula, a worked example and how it shows up in the ATPL exams.
How EASA block fuel is calculated
The definition, the formula, a worked example and how it shows up in the ATPL exams.The basic fuel scheme, line by line
CAT.OP.MPA.180 sets out the fuel and energy scheme, and CAT.OP.MPA.181 is the basic scheme most operators plan against. It builds required fuel as separate quantities added together, never blended into one margin: taxi, trip, contingency, then either destination alternate and final reserve, or the isolated aerodrome figure in their place, and finally any extra fuel the commander chooses to carry.
Contingency fuel: a percentage of trip, not of block
AMC6 CAT.OP.MPA.181 sets the standard figure at 5 per cent of planned trip fuel, covering deviations such as a routing change or a worse wind than forecast. The reduction to not less than 3 per cent under AMC6 CAT.OP.MPA.181(c)(1)(i) needs a fuel en-route alternate. The calculator warns whenever the entered figure sits below 5 per cent, so that assumption is never silent.
Destination alternate, final reserve, or isolated aerodrome
Most flights carry destination alternate fuel under CAT.OP.MPA.181(c)(4), plus final reserve fuel: 30 minutes at holding speed at 1,500 ft for a turbine aeroplane, 45 for a piston aeroplane, under CAT.OP.MPA.181(c)(5)(ii) and (c)(5)(i). Planning without an alternate is only permitted in the narrower cases CAT.OP.MPA.182 sets out.
An isolated aerodrome replaces both lines with one additional fuel figure under AMC7 CAT.OP.MPA.182(b)(1)(iv): two hours at normal cruise consumption for a turbine aeroplane, AMC7 (b)(1)(iv)(B), or 45 minutes plus 15 per cent of planned cruise time capped at two hours for a piston aeroplane, AMC7 (b)(1)(iv)(A). Both already include the final reserve. Note what the piston sub-point does not say: it names no consumption basis, where the turbine one names normal cruise consumption explicitly. This calculator applies the holding flow to the piston figure, because the 45 minutes at the head of that formula is the piston final reserve and CAT.OP.MPA.181(c)(5)(i) defines it at holding speed at 1,500 ft. That is a reading of a silent provision, not a rule, and it is flagged as one on the result line.
What this tool does and does not do
Trip and alternate fuel can be entered directly or as a time and a fuel flow per hour. Every field is in one unit, which only labels the numbers on screen; kilograms, pounds and litres are never converted between each other. This is an exam-structure teaching tool: commercial dispatch runs on the operator's own approved fuel policy and its aircraft's real performance data, which this tool has no access to.
Good to know
Background and tips for getting the most out of this calculator.
Good to know
Background and tips for getting the most out of this calculator.Contingency comes off trip fuel
Five per cent of trip fuel, calculated before the alternate and reserve lines are added, never five per cent of block fuel. The calculator always computes it from trip fuel.
Isolated aerodrome is not holding fuel
For a turbine aeroplane it is two hours at normal cruise consumption above the destination, not the 1,500 ft holding speed used for the final reserve, and it already contains that reserve.
One unit for every field
The unit selector only labels the numbers on screen. Kilograms, pounds and litres are never converted, so every figure entered has to already be in the same unit.
Frequently asked questions
Tap to read the full background and answers.
Frequently asked questions
Tap to read the full background and answers.- What is included in EASA block fuel?
- Taxi, trip, contingency, then either a destination alternate and final reserve, or the isolated aerodrome figure in their place, plus any extra fuel the commander adds, under CAT.OP.MPA.181. Minimum required is that total without the extra fuel; block fuel includes it.
- Is contingency fuel a percentage of trip fuel or block fuel?
- Trip fuel, never block fuel. AMC6 CAT.OP.MPA.181 sets the standard figure at 5 per cent of planned trip fuel. On an 8,000-unit trip and an 11,350-unit block, 5 per cent of trip is 400, of block is 567.5, which is the classic exam trap.
- Can contingency fuel be less than 5 per cent?
- Down to not less than 3 per cent, only with a fuel en-route alternate available, under AMC6 CAT.OP.MPA.181(c)(1)(i). Without one it stays at 5 per cent of trip fuel.
- How long is the final reserve for a turbine versus a piston aeroplane?
- Thirty minutes turbine, 45 piston, both at holding speed at 1,500 ft above the aerodrome, under CAT.OP.MPA.181(c)(5)(ii) and (c)(5)(i). Fuel to hold, not fuel to fly anywhere further.
- What is the isolated aerodrome fuel figure and does it include the final reserve?
- It replaces the destination alternate and the final reserve, under AMC7 CAT.OP.MPA.182(b)(1)(iv): two hours normal cruise consumption for a turbine aeroplane, or 45 minutes plus 15 per cent of planned cruise time capped at two hours for a piston aeroplane. Both already contain the final reserve.
- Does this calculator replace an operator's fuel policy?
- No. It teaches the exam-standard structure of the basic fuel scheme. Commercial operations run on the operator's approved fuel policy and aircraft data, which this tool has no knowledge of.
Comments and questions
Ask about this page or share a practical note.
Comments and questions
Ask about this page or share a practical note.More free aviation tools
Every SkyStudy calculator and decoder in one place, plus the live weather hub.
Studying for the EASA ATPL exams?
The same numbers behind this calculator come up in Performance, Mass and Balance and General Navigation. SkyStudy turns them into exam-style question practice across every ATPL subject, with spaced repetition and timed mock exams. Free to start, no card needed.
Get the free 7-day ATPL study plan
A focused, day-by-day plan that takes you from scattered notes to a working exam routine. Unlocked instantly, and delivered to your inbox.
The fuel scheme encoded here was read from the EASA Easy Access Rules for Air Operations, and each line of the breakdown names the provision it comes from. Regulation (EU) 2021/1296 replaced these rules on 30 October 2022 and they can be amended again after the date below. This is a teaching tool for the exam-standard structure: commercial flight planning runs on the operator's own approved fuel policy and its own aircraft data, and this calculator is not a dispatch tool.
Last reviewed July 2026