Charter and wet lease programmes can involve seasonal schedules, aircraft substitutions and airports outside an operator’s regular network. Fuel planning starts with a clear flight brief and an agreement on who will arrange, authorise and pay for each uplift. The label “ACMI” describes an aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance arrangement; it does not, by itself, settle the fuel procurement terms of a particular contract.
Agree the responsibilities first
Identify who requests fuel quotations, accepts the terms, supplies flight details, communicates amendments and reconciles invoices. The aircraft operator, programme customer and contracting fuel buyer may not be the same party. Record the operational contact and the commercial decision-maker so a provider is not asked to act on conflicting instructions.
A fuel request can be technically complete while payment terms are still open. Equally, a commercial offer can be accepted while the flight identification or quantity remains provisional. Keep both statuses visible.
Build a station-by-station requirement
For each airport, provide the operating dates and times with time zones, aircraft type and registration where known, fuel grade, estimated quantity and local contact details. Distinguish confirmed flights from provisional schedule options. If the programme has repeated sectors, include how amendments will be sent and which version of the schedule is current.
Do not assume that an arrangement at the first airport establishes availability, charges or payment conditions at the next. The outstation fuel planning checklist helps identify open items at an unfamiliar station.
Compare the total commercial scope
Check quote validity, unit, currency, delivery terms, minimums, applicable taxes and payment conditions. For a multi-date programme, ask whether the terms cover the schedule period or require renewed confirmation for later flights. Mark unconfirmed charges as open questions. The aviation fuel pricing guide and into-plane charges guide explain how to compare offers on the same basis.
Track each flight through release and uplift
A programme-level discussion does not mean each aircraft has a completed fuel arrangement. Maintain a status record for request, quotation, commercial acceptance, release or equivalent confirmation, and local delivery contact. The release should be checked against the latest aircraft, date, airport and fuel requirement. A completed uplift is established by the physical delivery record, not the earlier quotation.
Read the fuel release guide for the distinction between these stages.
Agree a change process
Aircraft swaps, timing changes, flight-number changes and revised quantities may affect a quotation or release. Identify who sends a change, who acknowledges it and who checks whether an amended confirmation is needed. A marked-up schedule or amendment notice should make the old and new details clear. Avoid leaving different teams with different versions of the programme.
When permits, handling and trip planning are needed, communicate the same flight changes to those teams. Each service still requires its own applicable confirmation; a handling or permit arrangement does not confirm fuel, and a fuel release does not confirm another service.
A simple responsibility record
For each station, add a line to the programme file showing who buys the fuel, who accepts the quote, who sends flight updates, who checks the release and who receives the invoice. If the same organisation holds several roles, record that explicitly. If a role is shared, identify the named decision contact for a changed flight. This keeps a local fuel provider from having to infer authority from the aircraft livery or the wet lease label.
Where several aircraft rotate through one schedule, match each uplift to the aircraft actually operating that sector. A schedule showing only flight numbers may be insufficient after an aircraft substitution; the local service arrangement should be checked against the latest registration and estimated requirement.
Review the programme using actual records
After flights begin, compare requested and delivered quantities, amendments and invoice questions by station. Note recurring operational constraints so the next schedule cycle can be prepared earlier. Any customer case study should use approved, anonymised data where commercial or route details are confidential.
Discuss a charter or ACMI fuel programme with ASM
ASM provides aviation fuel through a network of oil companies, local fuel suppliers and into-wing refuelling partners. Share the proposed station list, operating dates, aircraft details and estimated uplift quantities so the team can review what can be arranged. Explore aviation fuel services or send a programme enquiry.