Accurate pre-flight fuel planning is essential to ensure that an aircraft carries enough fuel for a safe flight, while avoiding unnecessary weight that reduces efficiency. However, at certain airports, frequent shortcuts on arrival can lead to systematic discrepancies between the nominal STAR (Standard Terminal Arrival Route) distances used for fuel planning and the actual distances flown. This, in turn, can result in aircraft carrying unnecessary excess fuel. To address this issue, some airports have begun to publish expected STAR distances for specific procedures in the Aeronautical Information Publication, allowing operators to plan fuel more accurately. This paper examines the impact of providing expected STAR distances by analysing one year of ADS-B data from Geneva, Munich and Rome Fiumicino airports. The study compares the observed distances flown with the full and expected STAR distances and presents econometric models to identify factors influencing the actual flown distances. In addition, fuel calculations are presented to estimate the potential benefits of publishing expected distances at airports that do not currently provide this information. The results show that for most of the STARs analysed, significant differences between observed flight distances and full STAR distances exist. However, these discrepancies are mitigated by the availability of published expected distances at Munich and Rome. The econometric model highlights consistent influencing factors such as STAR shape, shortcut potential, peak traffic hours, and weather conditions, although some effects are more location-specific. The fuel savings analysis suggests that adopting this practice at more airports could significantly reduce unnecessary fuel burn and associated emissions. Overall, this paper increases the understanding of how publishing expected STAR distances can improve fuel planning accuracy, operational efficiency, and environmental sustainability.
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