Regan Brown
Jet fuel is a highly regulated mixture of different hydrocarbons. While there are approved commercial methods for making three-quarters of the mixture from renewable sources, the remaining quarter still relies on fossil fuels. The aviation industry is a significant contributor to carbon emissions, with jet fuel consumption projected to double by 2050. Efforts to transition to sustainable aviation fuel have faced economic, technological, and political barriers, despite its potential to reduce emissions. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a notable dip in jet fuel consumption, particularly in the United States, but consumption has been steadily rising since 2021.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Jet fuel consumption in the US in 2023 | 1.65 million barrels per day |
| Jet fuel consumption in the US in 2022 | 1.5 million barrels per day |
| Jet fuel consumption in the US in 2020 | 8% less than in 2019 |
| Jet fuel consumption in the US in 2019 | 1.7 million barrels per day |
| Jet fuel consumption by commercial airlines globally in 2019 | 95 billion gallons |
| Jet fuel consumption by commercial airlines globally in 2020 | 52 billion gallons |
| Jet fuel consumption by commercial airlines globally in 2021 | 92 billion gallons |
| Jet fuel consumption by commercial airlines globally in 2023 | 95 billion gallons |
| Jet fuel consumption by commercial airlines globally in 2024 | 99 billion gallons |
| Fuel burned by a Boeing 747 quadjet in a 5-hour flight | 18,000 gallons |
| Fuel burned by an Airbus A380 in a 5-hour flight | 23,000 gallons |
| Fuel burned by a Boeing 787-9 per hour | 2,700 gallons |
| Percentage of climate impact due to CO2 for a 100-year time horizon | 47% |
| Percentage of climate impact due to NOx and contrails-cirrus for a 20-year time horizon | 86.5% |
| Percentage increase in air traffic between 2011 and 2019 | 60% |
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What You'll Learn
Jet fuel consumption in the US in 2023
The lower consumption relative to 2019 can be attributed to a number of factors. Firstly, the number of flights has decreased. While the number of passengers has increased, airlines have been consolidating flights to address labour supply constraints and high fuel prices. Secondly, there has been a decline in air freight activity as supply chain constraints have eased and spending on goods has returned to pre-pandemic levels. Thirdly, newer airplanes are becoming more fuel-efficient, limiting the consumption of jet fuel.
Commercial jet fuel consumption was the most affected by pandemic-era travel reductions, falling 42% from 2019 to 2020. In 2023, commercial carriers consumed 8% less fuel than in 2019. General aviation users consumed 11% less fuel in 2020 than in 2019, but this recovered to pre-pandemic levels by 2021. Military and government users were less affected by travel restrictions, with their jet fuel use declining by only 7% from 2019 to 2020.
The average fuel economy of US commercial carriers in terms of available seat-miles per gallon increased to 65.5 seat-miles per gallon in 2023, up from 64.9 seat-miles per gallon in 2019.
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Jet fuel composition and types
Jet fuel, or aviation turbine fuel (ATF), is designed for aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is a straw-coloured mixture of various hydrocarbons derived from petroleum or, in a small percentage of cases, oil sands. The exact composition depends on the crude oil source and refinery processes used in production.
Jet A and Jet A-1 are the most commonly used jet fuels for commercial aviation and are produced to a standardised international specification. Jet A is predominantly used in the continental United States, while Jet A-1 is used throughout the rest of the world. These fuels are very similar, but Jet A-1 has a lower maximum freezing point of -47°C, compared to -40°C for Jet A. This makes Jet A-1 more suitable for long-distance flights and operations in colder climates, particularly during winter on polar routes. Jet A-1 also contains static dissipator additives to reduce the risk of static electricity buildup.
Jet B is another type of jet fuel that is used for its enhanced cold-weather performance. It is a naphtha-kerosene blend of approximately 30% kerosene and 70% gasoline, known as wide-cut fuel. Jet B has a very low freezing point of −60°C, but its lighter composition makes it more dangerous to handle, so it is rarely used except in very cold climates like northern Canada and Alaska.
Other types of jet fuel include JP-5, JP-8, and avgas. JP-5 and JP-8 are similar in composition to Jet A/A-1 and are predominantly composed of C9–C16 hydrocarbons, including n-paraffins, isoparaffins, naphthenes, and aromatics. JP-8 is a military-grade jet fuel used extensively by the United States Armed Forces and NATO countries. It incorporates additional performance-enhancing additives to meet the rigorous demands of military operations, such as improved thermal stability and increased resistance to microbial growth. Avgas is a high-octane gasoline used in piston-engine aircraft and has a high volatility and high autoignition temperature to prevent preignition in high-compression aircraft engines.
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Sustainable aviation fuel
The aviation industry is a major consumer of fossil fuels, with jet fuel consumption reaching an all-time high of 95 billion gallons globally in 2019. However, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly reduced air travel, causing a sharp decline in jet fuel consumption. For instance, in 2020, jet fuel consumption in the United States dropped to its lowest level since 1985. While fuel consumption has been gradually increasing since then, it has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels.
As the aviation industry recovers, the transition to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) becomes increasingly important. SAF is a liquid fuel used in commercial aviation that can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional jet fuel. It is produced from a variety of sources, or feedstocks, such as waste oil and fats, green and municipal waste, non-food crops, and carbon-rich waste gases. SAF is considered sustainable because its feedstock does not compete with food crops or water supplies and does not contribute to forest degradation.
One of the key advantages of SAF is its compatibility with existing aircraft and infrastructure. SAF can be blended with conventional jet fuel and used in modern airplanes without requiring modifications. Additionally, SAF offers more flexibility as it can be produced from various feedstocks and production technologies. For instance, ASTM D7566 outlines the fuel quality standards for non-petroleum-based jet fuel and the approved SAF-based fuels that can be blended with Jet A.
The benefits of SAF extend beyond emissions reductions. Expanding SAF production can create new economic opportunities, particularly in agricultural and rural communities. American farmers can benefit from providing feedstocks for SAF production, improving soil quality, and reducing nutrient losses on their farms. Additionally, the development of novel pathways for producing SAF from renewable and waste feedstocks can further enhance the sustainability of the aviation industry.
To meet the goal of net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050, a significant increase in SAF production is necessary. Government policies and incentives will play a crucial role in accelerating the deployment of SAF and making it more competitive with fossil kerosene. The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge aims to expand domestic consumption to 3 billion gallons in 2030 and 35 billion gallons in 2050, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
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Jet fuel consumption by the military
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) is one of the world's largest consumers of energy, if not the largest. In 2007, it was responsible for 93% of all US government fuel consumption, with the Air Force, Navy, and Army accounting for 52%, 33%, and 7%, respectively. The Air Force alone uses 10% of the nation's aviation fuel, 82% of which is jet fuel.
The DoD uses approximately 4,600,000,000 US gallons (1.7 x 10^10 L) of fuel annually, or 12,600,000 US gallons (48,000,000 L) daily. If it were a country, the DoD would rank 34th in the world in average daily oil use, just behind Iraq and just ahead of Sweden.
The US military's massive fossil fuel consumption has significant environmental consequences. In 2017, the military purchased an average of 269,230 barrels of oil each day, emitting 25,000 kilotons of greenhouse gases. To address these concerns, the military has been transitioning to renewable energy sources and improving energy efficiency. The DoD has set goals to certify its entire fleet on coal-to-liquid synthetic fuel blends and fuel half of its domestic transportation with US-produced synthetic blends of biofuels and jet fuels by 2016.
The US military is also incorporating electric vehicles into its fleet, with plans to deploy an all-electric fleet of non-tactical vehicles by 2035. Hydrogen fuel cells are another option, with the Army and Air Force experimenting with hydrogen-powered vehicles. Additionally, the military has been investing in renewable energy strategies in its bases, such as solar arrays and microgrids, to reduce its dependence on foreign oil and improve energy security and independence.
While the US military's jet fuel consumption declined by 7% from 2019 to 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has since recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
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Jet fuel emissions and climate change
The aviation industry is a major contributor to global warming and climate change, with jet fuel combustion accounting for 2% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The sector's rapid growth and increasing demand for aviation fuels have led to a pressing challenge to reduce these emissions.
The impact of jet fuel emissions on climate change has been the subject of several life cycle assessment (LCA) studies. These studies have investigated the emissions produced during the combustion of jet fuel, including direct and indirect climate forcers such as NOx, aerosol particles, water vapour, and contrails-cirrus effect. Most aviation emissions occur during the cruise phase of a flight, with around 90% of aircraft emissions occurring higher than 3,000 feet above the ground. The remaining 10% is emitted during taxi, takeoff, initial climb, and landing, impacting local air quality through nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, hydrocarbons, and soot particulates.
To address the environmental impact of jet fuel emissions, various solutions have been proposed and implemented. At the national level, the French national low-carbon strategy (SNBC) aims for carbon neutrality by 2050, with increasing incorporation levels of alternative jet fuels. Other solutions include improving airframe aerodynamics, aircraft weight, and engine cycle performance. The use of sustainable biofuels blended with kerosene jet fuel is another potential mitigation strategy, as biofuels have a lower lifecycle greenhouse gas assessment and reduce soot content, water vapour, and sulfates in the exhaust, leading to less contrail formation.
Despite these efforts, the aviation sector is still working towards its goals of improving fuel efficiency, implementing carbon-neutral growth, and halving 2005 emissions levels by 2050. As air travel becomes more accessible and the volume of passenger traffic increases, the need to reduce jet fuel emissions becomes more critical in the global effort to combat climate change.
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Frequently asked questions
Jet fuel, or aviation turbine fuel (ATF), is a type of aviation fuel designed for aircraft with gas-turbine engines. It is usually colorless or straw-colored. Jet A and Jet A-1 are the most commonly used types of jet fuel, produced to a standardized international specification.
US jet fuel consumption averaged 1.65 million barrels per day in 2023, 5% below the pre-pandemic peak in 2019. Commercial jet fuel consumption was the most affected by the pandemic, falling 42% from 2019 to 2020.
Jet fuel is a fossil fuel that emits CO2, contributing to global warming and climate change. Other emissions from jet fuel combustion include nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2) and contrails-cirrus, which also have a significant impact on the climate.
