APU: Reducing fuel consumption on ground

Traditionally, most airlines poorly track APU usage on the ground, and utilization tends to be much higher than reported, including when alternatives exist: GPU, ACU, and 400 Hz power.

Since it represents a significant opportunity to save fuel when your aircraft are on the ground, let’s see how airlines are tracking  APU fuel consumption and how, as a pilot, you can reduce it.

You completed the APU module!

Some tips to reduce your APU fuel burn 

• When conditions permit, coordinate switching the APU on/off with switching the engines off/on to avoid having two sources of energy running simultaneously.
• The airport's Ground Power Units (GPU) use less than 20 kg of fuel per hour. Limit APU usage using GPU when possible.