Need some Jet A1? There’s an app for that.
Air BP says operators will be able to save time and paperwork when purchasing fuel thanks to the launch of its partnership with flight planning technology company RocketRoute in Australia and New Zealand.
In October 2016, Air BP teamed up with RocketRoute to allow operators to order and pay for fuel online via an app.
Following the initial launch in Europe, the partnership has now expanded Down Under, with fuel now able to be purchased online with a credit card for any of Air BP’s manned locations in Australia and New Zealand.
Air BP chief executive for Asia Pacific Alan Wilson said the app had great potential for the entire industry.
“There is no manual handling, there is no paper, there is no account opening processes. All that is gone for us and for the customer,” Wilson said at the Australian International Airshow at Avalon on Thursday.
“It’s no different to uber or any cutting edge, digital-enabled service. That’s what is exciting.”
Wilson said Air BP had 121 sites across Australia and New Zealand, with about 80 per cent of the Australian sites manned.
While the app was for now restricted to manned Air BP locations in Australia and New Zealand, those using the technology in the US were able to purchase fuel from a wider number of locations thanks to an alliance between Air BP and other fuel providers.
Wilson was hoping that this would eventually also be the case in Australia.
And future iterations of the app were likely to include the ability to purchase fuel at unmanned Air BP locations, as well as other airport services.
“Our vision is that this will become a completely integrated app,” Wilson said.
The RocketRoute app has processed more than one million flight paths and its co-founder Kurt Lyall said the decision to partner with Air BP reflected the fact that flight planning and fuel purchasing went hand in hand.
“If customer makes a flight plan in RocketRoute they have all the details available for fuelling,” Lyall said.
“Or the customer can just use the fuel service and order through there as well.”
Air BP purchased a minority stake in RocketRoute in April 2016.
