Continental transatlantic flights run low on fuel

· 'Minimum fuel' levels over Newark up fivefold
· Concerns over suitability of 757s for long routes

Flights between Britain and the US operated by Continental Airlines are under scrutiny by US pilots, politicians and regulators over figures showing the airline's planes ran low on fuel while approaching New York on 96 occasions last year.

The number of "minimum fuel" declarations by Continental pilots leapt five-fold at Newark airport over the past two years, prompting criticism over the carrier's use of relatively small planes for transatlantic routes. Continental has carved out a lucrative niche in services from smaller regional airports.

The carrier uses single-aisle Boeing 757 jets, typically carrying 175 passengers - smaller than the wide-bodied fleets favoured by its transatlantic rivals at Heathrow and Gatwick.

A report published last week by the US department of transportation revealed that the federal aviation administration inspector responsible for Boeing 757s had indicated "some concern with using that aircraft type on long overseas flights because of its limited range". The report said these concerns were shared by air traffic controllers and by the safety chairman of the Continental Airlines' pilots union.

Britain's Civil Aviation Authority declined last night to say whether there had been any similar fuel declarations over Britain and said it would not be reviewing the position of Continental. "We cannot regulate non-UK companies such as Continental, in the same way as the FAA has no regulatory authority over British Airways," a CAA spokesman said. If a US airline needed to report a minimum fuel declaration it was under an obligation to report that back to its regulating authority, the FAA, the spokesman added.

Robert Menendez, a Democratic senator for New Jersey, said: "For far too long, the FAA was unaware planes were landing at Newark low on fuel - with airline safety, there is no margin for error."

He said sensitivity over the issue was high in the New York area. In 1990, a flight operated by Colombia's Avianca ran out of fuel while landing at Kennedy airport and crashed, killing 73 people.

Problems can arise when flights face headwinds over the Atlantic or when they are rerouted to avoid bad weather. Occasionally, pilots opt to touch down in eastern Canada to pick up extra fuel - but according to the US department of transportation, Continental warned crew this could hit them personally in the pocket. A bulletin issued to crew in October stated: "Adding fuel indiscriminately without critical thinking ultimately reduces profit sharing and possibly pension funding."

The department of transportation's inspector general, Calvin Scovel, told senators: "We were concerned that such bulletins might put pressure on pilots to either not stop for fuel or to carry insufficient amounts of fuel."

Continental's fleet of 41 Boeing 757-200 aircraft are an average of 11 years old. According to Boeing, the planes have a range of 3,900 nautical miles which, in normal conditions, is comfortably above the 3,014 nautical miles for an average flight between London and New York.

But holding patterns at airports add to fuel burn and certain European destinations are more of a stretch - a flight from Barcelona to Newark is 3,338 nautical miles and the US government revealed that Continental's pilots on this route declared minimum fuel 23 times last year.

Continental said there is a difference between a cautionary "minimum fuel" and a stronger "fuel emergency" - which means the pilot needs to land immediately. On average, the flights that ran low had 64 minutes' fuel left - exceeding the statutory reserve level of 45 minutes.

A Continental spokesman said safety was never at risk: "Continental doesn't cut corners on ensuring aircraft have enough fuel. We put on ample fuel at the start of each flight, and there is a significant reserve. Safety is our top priority and flights can stop for extra fuel en route if it is necessary."

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