Do planes release fuel when landing?

In most cases, airlines only dump air in midair immediately before landing. They don't do it before or during takeoff, nor do they do it halfway through their flight. Rather, airlines may dump some of their airplane's excess fuel immediately before landing so that it lowers the weight of their aircraft.



Modern aircraft only release fuel, a process called "Fuel Dumping" or "Jettisoning," during emergency situations where they must land shortly after takeoff. Every airplane has a Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) and a much lower Maximum Landing Weight (MLW). If a plane takes off for a 10-hour flight but has a medical emergency 20 minutes later, it is far too heavy to land safely without damaging its landing gear or structure. To fix this, long-haul jets like the Boeing 777 or Airbus A350 use wingtip nozzles to spray fuel into the air. This is done at a high enough altitude (usually above 6,000 feet) so the fuel atomizes and evaporates into a fine mist before reaching the ground. Standard narrow-body planes like the Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 usually cannot dump fuel; instead, they must circle the airport for several hours to "burn" it off or, in dire emergencies, perform an "Overweight Landing" which requires a rigorous mechanical inspection afterward. Planes do not dump fuel during a normal, scheduled landing because it would be a massive waste of expensive resources.

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With today's fuel prices, it costs about $450,000 to fill up a Boeing 747, depending on your market. By contrast, the Gulfstream G280, a popular business aviation aircraft, costs around $8,000 to fill.

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What's more bizarre is that they do it in the air while flying. Tossing fuel into the air is a safe procedure for a good reason. Additionally, it is not as wasteful as it seems. Fuel disposal can occasionally be less expensive than not doing so.

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In most cases, airlines only dump air in midair immediately before landing. They don't do it before or during takeoff, nor do they do it halfway through their flight. Rather, airlines may dump some of their airplane's excess fuel immediately before landing so that it lowers the weight of their aircraft.

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The maximum landing weight (MLW) is the maximum aircraft gross weight due to design or operational limitations at which an aircraft is permitted to land. The MLW is set in order to ensure safe landings; if an aircraft weighs too heavy during touchdown, it may suffer structural damage or even break apart upon landing.

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In general the passengers are disembarked (see it as a two connecting flights). Sometime passengers could remain on the plane (but usually when most of people disembark. Refueling is considered a dangerous activity, so there are various special procedures and how many flight attendants should be ready (and where).

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Airplanes frequently depart the airport heavier than the maximum landing weight allowed – the threshold at which a given aircraft can sustain a very hard landing without damage. During a normal flight, the plan is to burn fuel so the plane's weight will below that number by the time it lands.

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In these cases, the airplane may arrive at the landing airport at a weight considerably above the maximum design landing weight. The pilot must then decide whether to reduce the weight prior to landing or land overweight. The weight can be reduced either by holding to burn off fuel or by jettisoning fuel.

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Since most twin jet airliners can meet these requirements, most aircraft of this type such as the Boeing 737 (all models), the DC-9/MD80/Boeing 717, the A320 family and various regional jet (RJ) aircraft do not have fuel dump systems installed.

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In this case, the aircraft will try to do it overland (not water) or away from populated areas, as it is the equivalent of dumping thousands of liters of petrol onto an urban area. The FAA mentions explicitly that any dumping can't occur under 2,000 feet.

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There are multiple reasons a plane can break up in mid-air, according to Landsberg, including over stress, turbulence, aircraft fatigue and corrosion.

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What is the longest flight in the world by distance? The longest flight in the world by distance is New York (JFK) to Singapore (SIN) on Singapore Airlines clocking in at 9,537 miles. What plane can fly the farthest in the world?

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The cost of fueling your private jet can vary significantly. For example, on May 11, 2022, the IATA per gallon price was $4.82 in North America, $4.01 in Europe, and $3.55 in Asia. At Boston's Hanscomb Field Jet A was selling between $9.79 and $13.38 per gallon.

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As of Sep 22, 2023, the average annual pay for the Boeing 747 Pilot jobs category in Staten Island is $100,515 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $48.32 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,932/week or $8,376/month.

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