Do airlines routinely dump excess fuel before landing?

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glorified_by_wut_is_ours

No this is not true. Airlines calculate the amount of fuel they need to use for the flight so that there is just enough for the flight and a little extra if the plane is stuck in the holding pattern or misses its approach. If you live by a major airport you may notice some airliners climbing overhead are higher than others. The reason for this is because some airlines may be limited to money, so they climb slower and use less thrust and naturally burn less fuel. On the FMC (the computer in the flight deck) the pilots type in a Cost Index, or amount of money the airline is spending on fuel and calculates the top of climb and descent for the aircraft within that fuel range.

Justin T

your friend is an idiot

private_jet_charter

No airliners do not regularly dump fuel before landings.
The only time that an airliner would dump fuel before landing is if they needed to execute an emergency landing shortly after takeoff. When the aircraft takes off it has a certain amount of fuel on board and during the flight the fuel gets used for the flight and by the time they are set to land the aircraft is not as heavy as it was when it took off. So if the aircraft needed to land right after takeoff it would be too heavy and would need to get rid of some of that fuel. Usually if they can the will go up to altitude and circle and burn of the fuel, dumping fuel is usually the last resort.

skyhigh

With the price of fuel, and all the major carriers in financial straits, it would appear to be an obvious vote for your friend is an idiot.

IceTrojan

Another vote for friend = idiot.

The crews to the caculations to figure out exactly how much fuel is needed to go from A to B... then add just a little more. If all goes right, the plane will land with barely enough fuel.

In some cases, where fuel is cheaper at the origination airport than the destination, the crews will load up on enough fuel to fly back and forth. In that case, the plane obviously can land with lots of fuel.

The only time it's dumped is 1) in an emergency, or 2) the runway is too short given the total weight of the plane.

Delta Virtual Airlines #3438

like someone else has said. your friend is an idiot! Why would they spend the extra money just to dump the fuel. Airliners dump fuel in extremem emergancy where they have to make an emergancy landing shortly after takeoff. It is hard to land with a full tank of fuel so they dump in in order to land. They don't just dump it to land routinely. They dump it to make an emergancy landing.

Colonyhkman

The only time they dump their fuel is if they need to make an emergency landing.

SUE N

Only when in truble.

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