Introduction

This article gives an overview of the safety measures associated with aircraft refuelling with passengers on board and the duties of the personnel involved. The recommendations are not to be considered exhaustive and should not take precedence over local rules and procedures.

Whenever possible, passengers should be disembarked prior to the commencement of fuelling after flight arrival and boarded for departure after completion of any necessary refuelling. However, refuelling with passengers on board may be judged necessary if refuelling service cannot be obtained exactly when requested or in some special cases (e.g. if a patient cannot to be moved during a medical flight).

Accidents associated with refuelling operations are rare. However this should not lead to complacency as incidents such as fuel spillage occur frequently. All refuelling is a potentially hazardous operation and therefore requires diligence on the part of all those involved.