The public comment period on the FAA’s Draft Transition Plan to Unleaded Aviation Gasoline comes to a close on March 13. NATA strongly encourages commercial operators, airports, FBOs, and fuel retailers to weigh in, especially on practical, on-the-ramp issues that will determine a safe transition that is workable in real-world operations. The draft plan is intended to provide a structured framework for moving away from 100LL while maintaining operational efficiency, and it recognizes that success depends on coordinated implementation across the fuel supply chain and at the point of sale. Input is especially needed on the potential impact of “multiple fuels” at the airport level.
A core operational challenge is the potential for multiple unleaded avgas options available at an airport during the transition, raising practical questions for which the FAA seeks public feedback, including:
- Storage and infrastructure: tank configuration, compatibility, segregation, cleaning/turnover, and fueling equipment considerations when introducing new fuel(s) alongside legacy products.
- Fuel identification and human factors: how pilots, line technicians, and maintenance teams will reliably distinguish fuels and understand which aircraft/engines are approved for which fuel, including signage, labeling conventions, training touchpoints, and misfueling risk controls during mixed-fuel availability.
- Communications and SOPs: how airports and fuel providers will communicate fuel availability changes and update local procedures, training, and signage/placarding to support safe fueling decisions during mixed-fuel operations.
The draft plan is available via the FAA’s draft documents site, and the official request for comments is published in the Federal Register. If your business stores, sells, dispatches, specifies, or uses avgas, this is a timely opportunity to help the FAA refine the transition approach relative to storage readiness, multi-fuel operations, and fuel comprehension at the point of use. Raise your voice to ensure implementation is practical and aligned with day-to-day realities at airports.