When it comes to aviation safety and engine protection and performance, there’s no such thing as being too thorough. Nobody knows that better than TOTAL South Africa which – like every good aviator – prioritises the small things, the little details that ensure safe and successful flights. It’s hardly surprising, then, that for more than 50 years, TOTAL South Africa has been the local aviation industry’s trusted fuel, lubricant and technical service supplier.

TOTAL South Africa’s fuels and lubricants are manufactured under the strictest quality controls and to the highest international standards. They have been specially formulated to meet the needs of all aircraft, from small prop-driven planes and high-performance helicopters to commercial jets. In fact, TOTAL South Africa currently fuels on average one out of every four planes leaving OR Tambo International Airport and one out of every three planes departing from Cape Town International Airport.

“In aviation, there’s no margin for error. At TOTAL South Africa, we understand that. We believe that it is the small details that ensure safety, protection and performance – our three core aviation focus areas. This can be seen in the rigorous testing standards applied to our products to ensure they meet and even surpass accepted standards.

“This commitment has earned us the trust of customers all over the world: airlines; flying clubs; professional and amateur stunt pilots; leisure pilots and private pilots such as livestock and game farmers who have come to rely on TOTAL fuels to provide all the protection and performance they need to ensure the safety of plane, pilot and passengers,” explains Mark Leenaerts, Sales Manager for Aviation. TOTAL South Africa supplies Jet-A1 fuel, which has a flash point greater than 38̊C and maximum freezing point of -47̊C. It is suitable for most jet engines and available at OR Tambo International Airport and Cape Town International Airport. Constant fuel quality monitoring and regular reviews are undertaken with complete J-A1 traceability systems. Its aeronautic lubricant range, comprising TOTAL Aviation turbine (turbojet, turboshaft and turboprop) and piston lubricants as well as hydraulic fluids, greases and gear oils, is suitable for all civil and general aviation needs. All TOTAL lubricants work in a large temperature spectrum, and meet international specifications. Its piston engine oils, namely Aero, Aero D, Aero XPD and Aero DM – all suitable for general aviation purposes – meet OEM specifications. TOTAL’s standout lubricant is Aero DM 15W50, a mineral, dispersive and multi-grade oil.

Continued research and development ensures that TOTAL remains at the forefront of technological advances in this field. It has, for example, developed the Aerogear range specifically for highly stressed gearboxes, such as helicopter gearboxes. This includes its highly sought after Aerogear 823, recently reintroduced to the market, which is successfully used by Airbus Helicopter (formerly Eurocopter Group) in its gearboxes.

“A combination of both local and international expertise allows us to view and understand the greater role we need to contribute to the aviation industry, not just the part that we play in the engine,” adds Leenaerts

Some of TOTAL South Africa’s aviation customers include South African Airways, Delta Airlines, Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, Qantas Airways, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Comair. During the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, TOTAL South Africa was the sole supplier of fuel to foreign aircraft using Waterkloof air force base, and fuelled the planes of, among others, then British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and then American Secretary of State, Colin Powell. TOTAL South Africa has also previously refuelled the Concorde when it was in South Africa on a special visit, as well as the American President’s Air Force One.