Definition
The total weight of an aircraft and everything aboard it -- crew, passengers, baggage, and cargo -- with no usable fuel in the tanks. Any weight added beyond this figure must be in the form of fuel.
Plain English
It's what the airplane weighs when fully loaded with people and cargo but before any fuel is put on board.
Context Anchor
Used during weight and balance planning, especially when checking whether the airplane is loaded within its approved limits before adding fuel weight.
Why Pilots Care
Many aircraft have a zero fuel weight limit lower than maximum takeoff weight; exceeding it risks structural damage because wing fuel normally relieves bending loads.
Intuition Check
Zero fuel weight does not mean the airplane is physically out of fuel. It means the calculation leaves out the usable fuel so the non-fuel load can be checked by itself.
Example Sentence 1
After loading the passengers and baggage, the dispatcher confirmed the airplane was still under its maximum zero fuel weight before the fuel truck arrived.
Example Sentence 2
After loading cargo, the crew subtracted usable fuel weight from maximum takeoff weight to verify the resulting zero fuel weight was acceptable.