PRESS RELEASE - UL94 Unleaded Avgas is now dyed PURPLE
Posted on March 1st, 2024
West Lafayette, Indiana, March 1, 2024: Since our initial delivery of UL94 unleaded avgas into the US market in April 2015, UL94 has had a clear transparent color (also known as “water white”). Beginning March 3rd of 2024, all new deliveries of UL94 across the globe will be dyed the color Purple as a new distinguishing feature. This color change is the result of over 4 years of planning by ASTM International – explained below – and is designed to increase avgas refueling safety in the marketplace by helping differentiate various fuel grades as well as water from one another.
The new Purple UL94 fuel is identical to the prior UL94 fuel in terms of quality and engine performance. Swift Fuels is coordinating postings at local airfields for market awareness, but otherwise the change requires no operational changes by distribution, truck drivers, airport fuel handlers, fire safety or others involved in the supply chain. STC registered pilots will also be receiving free communications from Swift Fuels in the weeks ahead for their individual aircraft as part of our continuing FOREVER Avgas STC program.
What is the Back Story --?
In 2018, the ASTM International Fuels, Markings and Dyes task force - which is co-lead by BP and Swift Fuels - began a wholesale reassessment of the aviation fuels used across the globe to identify and rationalize the fuel colors that were assigned but no longer in active use. This resulted in a “deselection” of colors (i.e. turning off unused colors) for up to 7 colors and thereby making these colors available for broader use in aviation gasolines.
This ASTM task force issued approval for changing the color of UL94 to Purple in 2023. The new color specification for UL94 was designated to be implemented anytime between January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024. Swift Fuels elected to begin the implementation across the marketplace at this time to help differentiate UL94 from other fuels used by piston aircraft and to generally improve the effectiveness of pilots identifying fuel grades and separating condensation (water) from aircraft fuel prior to each flight.
See full press release by clickling here.