NAMPA, Idaho — The price of fuel has been top of mind for many drivers, but pilots have been pinched at the pump, too.
At Mission Aviation Fellowship, higher fuel costs are affecting far more than Nampa. The nonprofit operates in 12 countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, flying humanitarian missions into remote areas where fuel is already part of the challenge.
WATCH | Global fuel prices are adding pressure to pilots based in Nampa—
"Fuel prices are probably our number 3 biggest impact on our budget, and we're seeing in Indonesia prices upward of 60% increase in prices. Africa, we're seeing around 40%. Similarly, in Latin America, we're seeing 40% increase in fuel prices just because of the of the conflict in Iran," Stan Unruh said.
As vice president of operations, Unruh showed Neighborhood Reporter Keith Burrell around one of the organization's planes and explained how fuel purchasing in aviation works.
"You order fuel in liters overseas, but you have to calculate and we flight plan and you load the airplane by weight, right? So you need to know how much your fuel weighs, but you pay for it in liters," Unruh said.
Mission Aviation Fellowship says most of its fleet runs on Jet A fuel for its turbine fleet, while some aircraft in certain countries use "avgas," which is similar to consumer fuel for its piston-powered craft.
The biggest concern right now is East Congo.
"Our most impacted country, and the reason is because Africa gets 75% of its crude oil products or refined products. Straight through the Strait of Hormuz and then in Congo, our operations there in East Congo are landlocked, so our fuel has to come from Kenya overland to Uganda and then on into East DRC," Unruh said.
Unruh says the higher cost is already here, but concern about fuel availability is creeping in.
"The supply disruption hasn't come yet. We anticipate it's coming down the road because their reserves of fuel that they're able to stockpile are rapidly shrinking," Unruh said.
Mission Aviation Fellowship is committed to serving these communities no matter the price.
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