Hajj and Umrah charter programmes often involve repeated flights, several aircraft and tightly coordinated schedules. Fuel planning should begin with the actual station list and the contract’s buying responsibilities, then be maintained as the programme changes. This guide concerns fuel procurement and coordination; operating approvals and seasonal requirements must be checked against the current instructions of the relevant authorities.
Agree who buys and authorises fuel
A wet lease or charter arrangement may involve an aircraft operator, programme organiser and customer. Identify who requests a quotation, accepts payment terms, sends schedule amendments and receives invoices. The word “ACMI” does not, by itself, assign those responsibilities. Keep a named operational contact and a named commercial decision-maker for each programme.
The charter and ACMI fuel planning guide sets out a simple responsibility record that can be adapted to a seasonal schedule.
Build an airport-by-airport fuel schedule
For each station and operating date, record the airport and code, aircraft type and registration when known, flight number, planned arrival and departure time with time zone, grade and estimated uplift quantity with its unit. Mark tentative rotations, substitutions and charter sections clearly. A programme summary is useful, but local fuel acceptance still needs to be checked for the actual aircraft and flight.
Do not infer current fuel availability at Jeddah, Madinah or any other airport from a general network statement. Confirm grade, quantity, service timing, local provider acceptance and release status for the proposed operation.
Separate seasonal permissions from fuel arrangements
Airline schedules, permits, slots and other Hajj or Umrah operating requirements follow the current season’s applicable instructions. A fuel offer does not confer an operating approval; an approved flight schedule does not automatically confirm a fuel uplift. The operator and its support team should review current authority notices when the programme is planned and after a material change.
ASM’s Hajj and Umrah flight support can be considered alongside the fuel requirement, with each service confirmed on its own terms. For current Saudi aviation instructions, consult the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation.
Compare the full commercial basis
Check the quote’s unit, currency, validity, delivery treatment, minimum charges, taxes and payment conditions at each station. A programme may have different arrangements across airports or dates. Do not copy one station’s terms to another. The fuel pricing guide and into-plane charges guide help compare offers without treating an unknown fee as zero.
Track release status flight by flight
Maintain a programme sheet with request, quotation, acceptance, release or equivalent confirmation, local contact and open items for each flight. A release should match the current date, aircraft, flight and requested grade and quantity basis. An accepted quote is not physical delivery. The fuel release guide explains the stages.
Handle aircraft and schedule changes explicitly
Aircraft substitutions, revised timings or a different uplift can affect the arrangement. Send a change notice that identifies the old and new details, the existing reference and who needs to acknowledge the amendment. Keep the latest release and schedule together. The release amendment checklist provides a usable format.
A rotation readiness check
Before each departure, the programme record should show the current aircraft, station and uplift estimate, the accepted quote version, the release or equivalent status, the local provider contact and the person who will send a late change. Mark an item “awaiting confirmation” rather than assuming it is complete because the previous rotation was served. If the aircraft changes, recheck the release for that specific flight and make sure the relevant teams have the same current schedule.
Seasonal activity may increase the number of simultaneous requests, so an agreed handover between commercial and operations contacts is valuable. The useful control is a current, traceable status for each uplift, not an unsupported promise of priority service at any airport.
Review the programme after operation
Compare requested and delivered quantities, schedule amendments and invoice queries by airport. Use the actual records to improve the next rotation. Publish customer, route or supplier details only when disclosure has been approved; an anonymised operational example may be enough to show what ASM coordinated.
Discuss your programme with ASM
ASM provides aviation fuel through a network of oil companies, local fuel suppliers and into-wing refuelling partners. Send the proposed stations, dates, aircraft and estimated quantities so the team can review the arrangements for each operation. Explore aviation fuel services or send a fuel enquiry.