Fuel Tankering Calculator
Enter how much extra fuel you would carry, the fuel prices at both airports and the flight time. See how much burns off on the way and whether you still save.
Fuel you load at departure on top of what the flight needs.
Take-off to landing. Type 2:15 or 2.25.
Where you would load the extra fuel.
What you would pay there instead.
Share of the extra fuel burned for each hour you carry it. 3% is a rough rule of thumb — use your operator's figure.
Turns litres and gallons into weight. Jet A-1 is about 0.8 kg/L; use the figure on your fuel receipt.
Max landing weight (or the payload-limited figure) minus your planned landing weight without the extra fuel. The fuel that arrives must fit in this.
If you pay for emissions or offsets, in the currency above. Taken off the saving.
How your tankering saving is worked out
Saving = fuel that arrives × destination price − fuel loaded × departure price.
- 1
Extra burn
3,000 kg × 3%/h× 2 h 00 min= 180 kg burned
- 2
Fuel that arrives
3,000 − 180= 2,820 kg
- 3
Pay vs avoid
Pay 3,750 L × 0.70Avoid 3,525 L × 0.902,625.00 vs 3,172.50
- 4
Saving
3,172.50 − 2,625.00= 547.50 saved
Read more: the formula, a worked example and when tankering pays
Tankering means buying fuel at a cheaper airport and carrying it to a dearer one. Carrying fuel costs fuel: the heavier aircraft burns more, so only part of the extra arrives. This calculator compares what you pay for the extra at departure with what the fuel that arrives would have cost at the destination. To plan the whole fuel load, use the flight fuel planning calculator; to change litres, gallons, kg and lb, use the jet fuel converter.
The formula
extra burn = extra fuel × burn penalty % × flight hours
fuel that arrives = extra fuel − extra burn
cost at departure = extra fuel × departure price
cost avoided at destination = fuel that arrives × destination price
saving = cost avoided − cost at departure (− CO2 tonnes × carbon price)
break-even destination price = departure price ÷ (1 − burn penalty % × hours)
extra CO2 = extra burn (kg) × 3.16
longest flight where it pays = (destination price − departure price) ÷ (penalty % × (destination price + 3.16 × carbon price per tonne ÷ 1,000)), prices per kg
Worked example
You carry 3,000 kg extra on a 2-hour flight with a 3% per hour penalty. Fuel costs 0.70 per litre at departure and 0.90 per litre at the destination, and the density is 0.8 kg/L.
- Extra burn: 3,000 × 3% × 2 = 180 kg.
- Fuel that arrives: 3,000 − 180 = 2,820 kg.
- In litres: 3,000 ÷ 0.8 = 3,750 L loaded and 2,820 ÷ 0.8 = 3,525 L arriving.
- Cost at departure: 3,750 × 0.70 = 2,625.00.
- Cost avoided at the destination: 3,525 × 0.90 = 3,172.50.
- Saving: 3,172.50 − 2,625.00 = 547.50.
- Break-even destination price: 0.70 ÷ (1 − 0.06) = 0.70 ÷ 0.94 = 0.7447 per litre, a gap of about 0.045 per litre (6.4%).
- Longest flight where it still pays: (0.90 − 0.70) ÷ (0.03 × 0.90) = 7.41 hours, about 7 h 24 min.
- Extra CO2: 180 × 3.16 = 568.8 kg. At a carbon price of 100 per tonne that is 56.88, leaving a saving of 490.62.
When tankering pays
| Flight time | Burned at 3%/h | Destination must be dearer by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 h | 3% | 3.1% |
| 2 h | 6% | 6.4% |
| 3 h | 9% | 9.9% |
| 4 h | 12% | 13.6% |
| 6 h | 18% | 22.0% |
The gap is 1 ÷ (1 − burned share) − 1. The longer the flight, the bigger the price gap you need.
Things to check
- Burn penalty: 3% per hour is a rough rule of thumb. The real figure depends on the aircraft type, weight, cruise level and speed. Aircraft makers and flight-planning systems give a better one.
- Weight limits: the fuel that arrives adds to the landing weight, and the whole extra load adds to the take-off weight. Both must stay inside the limits for the day, and the fuel must fit in the tanks.
- Other costs: landing fees by weight, brake and engine wear, and fuel-tax rules can change the answer.
- Rules: some regions restrict tankering for environmental reasons. For example, the EU's ReFuelEU Aviation rules require most fuel for flights from EU airports to be loaded there. Check the current rules where you operate.
- CO2: 3.16 kg of CO2 per kg of jet fuel burned is the commonly used factor for jet fuel. It is not checked on an official page here.
Planning aid only. Always follow your operator's fuel policy and the aircraft's approved limits. Checked 13 October 2026.
Common questions
What is fuel tankering?
Fuel tankering means loading more fuel than the flight needs at an airport where fuel is cheap, so you buy less (or none) at the destination where it is dearer. The catch is weight: the extra fuel makes the aircraft heavier, so it burns some of that fuel just carrying it.
How much extra fuel does it burn to carry fuel?
A common rule of thumb is about 2.5% to 4% of the extra fuel for every hour it is carried, often rounded to 3% per hour. It depends on the aircraft, its weight, altitude and speed, so use your operator's or manufacturer's figure when you have it.
When is tankering worth it?
When the fuel that arrives is worth more at the destination price than the whole extra load cost at departure. With a 3% per hour penalty on a 2-hour flight, 6% of the extra burns off, so the destination price must be more than the departure price ÷ 0.94, about 6.4% higher, before it saves anything.
Does tankering add CO2?
Yes. Every kg of extra jet fuel burned to carry the tankered fuel makes about 3.16 kg of CO2, the commonly used factor. On the default example, 180 kg of extra burn adds about 569 kg of CO2. Some regions also limit tankering, so check the rules where you fly.
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Made by Zulu Calculator, part of AlphaZulu LLC. Formulas are shown in full and rule figures are checked against official sources; see how we build calculators.