Business Spotlight: Shell Aviation

Shell Aviation has proven to be one of the most influential suppliers in the aviation business. Learn more about how the company manages to be so successful.

1) Shell Aviation is one of the leading suppliers in the world.  What is it doing to ensure it retains this position?

Firstly, we invest. Royal Dutch Shell has spent $1.3 billion on research and development in 2013, more than any other International Oil Company.[1] Shell Aviation has a dedicated team of aviation scientists at a specialist aviation research facility in the U.S. focusing solely on aviation innovation and product development enhancement. In addition, we continue to invest in technology solutions with the goal of improving operational efficiency for our customers.

Secondly, we ensure our high operational and safety standards are consistently and meticulously implemented, through dedicated teams of account managers and technical support staff with the knowledge and operating experience to respond to customers’ needs.

Finally, with regards to products, we have an end-to-end fuels quality assurance system, from refinery to aircraft. The Shell Aviation Fuel Quality Assurance System includes fuel sampling and laboratory analysis at key stages of the supply chain, from the refinery to the aircraft. Every stage from receipt of incoming fuel from the refinery to safe into-plane delivery is accounted through our stringent refuelling procedures.

2) How do you attract new customers?

Success in the aviation fuels and lubricants business is about being genuinely close to the customer and offering the right products and services in the right places. Our dedicated fuels sales team and distributor network develop and maintain strong relationships with our customers and equipment manufacturers. Customers benefit from Shell Aviation’s full value chain offering and services to help them operate as efficiently as possible. We are also working to preserve and grow the customer base through various customer activities such as dedicated one-on-one conversations, loyalty events and distributor forums. Through these efforts, we understand our customers’ challenging operating environments better and continuously invest in ways to help them be more competitive in this business. We also offer marketing tools and resources to help distributors build their business and provide automation solutions to deliver shorter turnaround times.

3) What features do you have at your location(s)?

We have deep experience and expertise in areas from product development in the laboratory to refining, shipping, pipelines, trucking, storage and handling, and fuelling aircraft. We also provide technical services and have significant experience designing, building and managing fuelling operations globally. Shell Aviation’s Technical Services Agreements offer a suite of tools including training, inspection and operating standards through its Technical Consultancy and Fueltec teams. In 2014, leveraging Shell’s exploration and production connections, Shell Aviation developed an Offshore Procedures Manual for fuel storage and handling and now offers it to helicopter and offshore enterprises.

The Aviation Centre of Excellence (ACE) program is an example where we have tailored an offer to meet the needs of our customers. Airports in Roskilde, Gazipaṣa, Gothenburg, and Zurich benefit from the offer that is designed to help fixed-based operators and small and medium size airports optimize their operational and safety processes. The program covers five major areas: marketing assistance, supply security, delivering safe and effective operations, continuous asset supply, management, and maintenance support from a trusted partner.

We also offer our VIP Jet™ service at selected locations. Each VIP Jet™ location offers premium facilities such as a first-class reception; comfortable passenger and pilot lounges; easy payment solutions using the Shell fuel&fly® card, existing contract or major credit cards with a focus on reducing transit times and on operational excellence.

4) What services/amenities do you provide?

We work hard to earn the loyalty of our customers by creating value through the safe and timely supply of high quality aviation fuels and of high performance aviation lubricants and fluids. Shell Aviation offers a comprehensive range of quality lubricants to protect the whole aircraft; oils for the engines, fluids for hydraulic mechanisms and greases for the airframe and gearing mechanisms. Dedicated teams of Shell Aviation account managers and technical support staff have the knowledge and operating experience to respond quickly to technical or commercial situations that our customers could face. They provide value adding services, such as technical advice on the right lubricant and offer solutions which enable customers to stay competitive.  

An important project that we are working on is the commercialization of Shell unleaded aviation gasoline (avgas). Due to environmental pressures, the piston engine aircraft industry and users were seeking an avgas solution that could offer the performance of the 100LL (Low Lead) without the lead. After more than a decade of intense research, in 2013 Shell launched its first test flight on 100 UL Avgas. Through the PAFI (Piston Aircraft Fuel Initiative), we are working with regulators including the US Federal Aviation Administration and industry forums to develop the body of data necessary to achieve fleet-wide certification.

5) Date your company started business?

Shell Aviation has a strong heritage in the aviation industry with more than 100 years of experience. One of our first milestones was providing the fuel for Louise Blériot’s crossing of the English Channel in 1909, which has been described as the start of modern aviation. Ten years later in 1919, we provided a specially mixed fuel called “Shell Aviation Spirit” for the first non-stop flight across the Atlantic. In the same year, we also fuelled the first flight from England to Australia. Our history of firsts in piston aviation also includes being the first to commercialise 100 Octane fuel in the 1930s, being the first to produce a semi-synthetic multi-grade piston engine oil and the first to produce dedicated lubricants for both aviation diesel engines and light sport engines.We will continue to build on this heritage, providing fuels and lubricants for today and tomorrow’s aircraft.

6) How many people on staff? What is your location or locations?

The dedicated teams within the Shell Aviation business are located around the world and support our global network that serves nearly 800 airports in 40 countries, and provides fuel for almost 7,000 aircrafts, refueling an aircraft every 12 seconds.

7) What is the one thing you want pilots to know about Shell Aviation?

Pilots have relied on the quality of Shell products for a long time. Our aim is always to  enable pilots to perform with confidence. The combination of our extensive experience in this industry and our ongoing commitment to innovation makes this possible. To this end, we have worked with OEMs and our aviation customers for a long time. Building strong alliances with OEMs, as they develop engines and equipment, is important for the development of fuels and lubricant formulations.

9) For further information

To learn more about Shell Aviation and to find contact details, please visit www.shell.com/aviation

10) Any other qualities/features you would like others to know?

Shell Aviation was voted as the “World's Best International Jet Fuel Marketer and Supplier”in the 2013 and 2014 Armbrust Awards. We have won the “Best Technical and Operational Performer” Armbrust Award 14 times in the 18-year history of the award. We have close collaborations with both the the AeroSuperBatics Wingwalking team and AeroShell Aerobatics Team, who entertain millions of people every year, supplying them with AeroShell lubricants, greases and smoke oil.

^[1] Royal Dutch Shell Annual Report 2013 http://reports.shell.com/annual-report/2013/strategic-report/our-businesses/business-overview.php