The Royal Flying Doctor Service has announced that Air BP, one of the world's largest suppliers of aviation fuel products and services, has become their third National Partner.

Air BP supplies jet fuel at around 60 locations in Australia; this includes an extensive network of facilities offering a reliable service to rural and remote locations. As part of the partnership agreement, in addition to offering the bespoke fueling services required in each of the regional communities that RFDS services, Air BP will also be sponsoring the ongoing operation of the service.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service is Australia’s third largest airline, with 69 aircraft in service, as well as a large fleet of ground service vehicles. They provide emergency medical and primary health services to regional, remote and very remote areas of the country.

People that live in remote communities in Australia have less access to health care services and as a result are known to suffer poorer health than those that live in the cities. Country Australians see a doctor at about half the rate, a medical specialist at one third the rate and a mental health professional at one fifth the rate of those that live in the city. As a consequence, country people are expected to die two and a half years earlier and expected to have up to three times the amount of avoidable chronic illness.

“We want to thank Air BP for signing up to be one of our National Partners”, says Martin Laverty, CEO of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. “As a direct result of Air BP fuel, the Flying Doctor will be able to provide continued health service access to those needing it.”

“At Air BP we are proud of our long standing relationship with the Royal Flying Doctor Service” says Alan Wilson, Managing Director Air BP Asia Pacific. “Air BP is uniquely placed to provide a quality aviation refueling solution throughout rural and regional Australia and to support this essential and iconic service for the communities in which we operate.”

Innovative Airfield Automation technology

Air BP has developed an innovative new Airfield Automation technology to enhance safety, reliability and compliance in airport fuelling operations.

This new digital platform for operators and airports is an integrated, real-time, global solution that strengthens safety barriers and mitigates risks during the fuelling process. It is the first commercially deployed system in the world to provide an engineering barrier to actively help prevent misfuelling. As a result, Air BP is currently pursuing patent protection for this distinctive technology.

The cloud-based platform consolidates the data related to airport fuelling operations and works via an app on a handheld device in the fuelling vehicles. The appropriately named ‘safe2go’ app captures fuel volume readings and provides fuel grade checks to add an additional misfuelling barrier. It then electronically captures customer details which are confirmed with an electronic signature from the pilot or airline. By using this automated, end-to-end, paperless system, accuracy is enhanced and any potential mis-keying errors minimised.

Aside from the enhanced safety barriers, aircraft operators will also benefit from faster, more comprehensive and more accurate fuelling and delivery data. The cloud-based technology will enable Air BP to offer increasingly integrated information to customers, such as delivery records and precise delivery timings.

Air BP will begin introducing the technology to its operated network this summer and it is anticipated the new Airfield Automation technology will be fully operational at around 350 locations by 2020.

Air BP carried out a comprehensive two-year trial of the Airfield Automation technology at nine airports in the UK, Cyprus and Portugal involving commercial, business and general aviation customers. At one airport alone more than 5000 aircraft fuellings were completed over the last six months with the new technology, delivering over 46 million litres of fuel into customer aircraft.

Matt Elliott, chief commercial officer, Air BP, comments: “This new platform reinforces our ambition to be a leader in digital fuelling technology. Air travel continues to grow, putting more pressure on airports and operators to provide a seamless service to customers. With this new technology, we are playing our part in ensuring that the fuelling process is fast, efficient and safe. Future enhancements to our system will support wider digitalisation at airports.”

Kerry Rutherford, technical director, Air BP, comments: “Misfuelling is one of the biggest risks we face in our industry, the new Air BP Airfield Automation technology provides an engineering barrier to stop it happening. As aircraft engine technology advances and new unleaded fuel grades are introduced, we anticipate that it will become even more relevant in future.”