Fuel jettisoning (fuel dumping)

Prepared for emergencies

The need to jettison (dump) fuel is very rare and only occurs when there is an emergency. In 2014 there were 10 instances of civilian passenger aircraft jettisoning fuel in Australia out of 730,201 air traffic movements, representing approximately 0.001 per cent of movements.

In the event that fuel jettisoning is required, Airservices Australia enforces strict regulations on when and where it can occur.

Jettisoned fuel vaporises rapidly and disperses widely. This means it is highly unlikely to reach the ground and will have a negligible effect on air or water quality, or the environment.

For more detailed information, see the Environmental Impact Statement.