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i6 Refuelling Technology Featured In LARA Magazine's Airport Special
i6 Group
The following is an excerpt from an article published by LARA in their Airports Special, October 2024
Efficiency improvements are the focus across the entire aviation industry, with aircraft refuelling being no exception.
New ways of doing things, particularly digital solutions, are being deployed to deliver efficiencies in a process that is vital for the smooth running of airline operations.
"We are committed to harnessing new digital solutions to improve efficiency right across our business, including fuels," says Marco di Mario, Senior Vice President Fuels, Menzies Aviation.
Di Mario tells LARA: "In Europe, we use paperless solutions produced by i6, such as eHandshake®, which improves fuelling times and enhances the dispatching process by allowing the pilot to interact digitally with the refueller."
Menzies has also started using airfield automation digital technology, which is designed to enhance safety and reliability in airport fuelling operations.
In the US, fuelling services are contracted directly by airlines, while in Europe customers are served through fuel suppliers and sometimes airports.
"Our contracts are with these suppliers and airports, which then have separate agreements with airlines," di Mario says.
Low-fare carrier customers of Menzies include easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air.
Tangible improvements have already been achieved thanks to technology, including "greater control over vehicle operations, reduced refuelling times driven by improved vehicle data assessments and harnessing real-time data to drive efficiencies in the dispatching process."
Di Mario adds: "We have seen a step change in overall performance thanks to data-based decisions and learning, alongside improvements in safety due to digital reporting and investigation."
UK-based fuel management technology specialist i6 Group is aiming to digitalise the entire aviation fuel management life cycle. "We are building the data capabilities needed today to address tomorrow's sustainability challenges," says the company's Marketing Director, Suraj Singh. "We have already digitalised and integrated into-plane refuelling, fuel storage and accounting, and airliner-refueller communication."
Fusion6 is the company's flagship into-plane management platform, primarily used by refuelling companies but also offering significant benefits to airlines.
"Refuellers utilise our cloud-based software and airside-safe tablets for seamless communication, real-time data access and 24/7 support," says Singh. "This streamlines operations, reduces manual workloads and ensures refuellers are in the right place at the right time, even when flight schedules change unexpectedly." Airlines benefit from improved on-time performance, cost savings, and reduced operational disruptions.
The platform is deployed at over 170 sites worldwide - with i6 aiming to double this in the coming years - and provides efficiency benefits to almost 1,000 airlines, half of which are low-fare and regional carriers. Efficiencies are further enhanced when Fusion6 is combined with its patented digital refuelling solution, eHandshake®. "Our digital refuelling solution allows airlines and refuellers to interact electronically, ensuring a safe, efficient and fully paperless process," says Singh. "This eliminates the need for manual ticket printing and in-person sign-offs, which are prone to errors and can cause delays or over-fuelling."
i6's solutions allow airlines to boost efficiency, reduce delays and cut costs.
Singh points, for example, to JetBlue - which has optimised operations at various US airports with real-time fuel data integration.
The airline previously used manually intensive processes in its fuel data recording, resulting in lengthy entry and reconciliation times and more human errors, as well as a lack of real-time visibility. British Airways, meanwhile, has saved millions in fuel costs and reduced thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions, according to i6. Automated digital data capture means lost fuel tickets and data are a thing of the past, while administrative tasks are reduced by 20 per cent.
Singh says the company's solutions can lead to operational cost savings of up to US$240 per flight based on reductions in excess fuel, fueller time and data reconciliation errors.
Up to 65 kg in fuel savings per flight can be achieved due to optimised fuel loading, resulting in up to 210 kg of CO2 savings per flight from fuel savings.
Singh notes that with their shorter turnaround times, LFCs and short-haul operators in particular demand efficient operations.
"Our real-time flight data integrations enable refuellers to turn flights around much quicker when compared to manual processes and legacy systems," he says.
He points to the refuelling operation at Manchester Airport, which previously struggled to keep up with last-minute flight changes, resulting in delays of up to 40 minutes.
"Our auto-allocation feature, which automatically adjusts refueller assignments based on real-time flight data, has led to a 92 per cent reduction in fuel-related delays," he says.
i6 is continuously developing its products based on industry requirements. In the US, for example, where pilots typically don't interact with the fuel order, i6 has developed a solution that sends the completed fuel transaction directly to the airline's server for automatic review and sign-off, thereby reducing manual input and streamlining the process.
