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Table 4-8M. Certificated Air Carrier Fuel Consumption and Travela

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Table 4-8M. Certificated Air Carrier Fuel Consumption and Travela

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  1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Number of aircraft2,135 2,125 2,679 2,495 3,808 4,678 6,083 6,054 7,320 7,297 7,370 7,411 7,478 7,616 R8,111 8,228
Average kilometers flown per aircraft (thousands)784 1,074 1,528 R1,500 1,236 1,191 1,250 1,239 1,077 1,129 1,170 1,222 1,260 1,273 R1,234 1,246
Aircraft-kilometers (millions)                               
Domestic operations 1,381 1,825 3,328 3,135 4,060 4,902 6,378 6,202 6,429 6,690 7,049 7,450 7,743 R7,904 8,097 8,330
International operations 293 457 764 607 645 668 1,223 1,299 1,455 1,547 1,577 1,606 1,679 1,793 1,917 1,926
Fuel consumption (million liters)                               
Domestic operations 7,397 14,721 29,742 28,610 34,432 R38,289 R47,049 R43,555 R44,528 R45,270 R47,227 48,499 R49,918 51,709 52,530 54,854
International operations 2,143 4,845 8,491 7,378 7,336 R9,418 R15,002 R14,915 R15,596 R15,569 R16,319 R17,076 R17,632 18,791 19,631 19,976
Aircraft-kilometers flown per liter                               
Domestic operations 0.19 0.12 0.11 0.11 0.12 0.13 0.14 0.14 0.14 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.16 0.15 0.15 0.15
International operations 0.14 0.09 0.09 0.08 0.09 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.09 0.10 0.10 0.09 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10

a Aircraft operating under 14 CFR 121 and 14 CFR 135.  

KEY: R = revised; U = data are unavailable. 

SOURCES: 
Number of aircraft: 
1960-65: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA Statistical Handbook of Aviation, 1970 edition (Washington, DC: 1970), table 5.3. 
1970-75: Ibid., FAA Statistical Handbook of Aviation, Calendar Year 1979 (Washington, DC: 1979), table 5.1. 
1980-85: Ibid., FAA Statistical Handbook of Aviation, Calendar Year 1986 (Washington, DC: 1986), table 5.1. 
1990-97: Ibid., FAA Statistical Handbook of Aviation, Calendar Year 1997 (Washington, DC: unpublished), personal communication, Mar. 19, 1999.
1998-99: Aerospace Industries Association, Aerospace Facts and Figures (Washington DC: Annual Issues), "Active U.S. Air Carrier Fleet".
Aircraft-kilometers flown:
1960: Civil Aeronautics Board, Handbook of Airline Statistics 1969 (Washington, DC: 1970), part III, tables 2 and 13.
1965-70: Ibid., Handbook of Airline Statistics 1973 (Washington, DC: 1974), part III, tables 2 and 13.
1975-80: Ibid., Air Carrier Traffic Statistics (Washington, DC: December 1976), pp. 4 and 14; and (December 1981), pp. 2 and 3.
1985-98: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Carrier Traffic Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues, December), pp. 2 and 3, line 27 plus line 50.
1999: Ibid., Internet site http://www.bts.gov/programs/oai, as of July 14, 2000.
Fuel consumption:
1960-99: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Internet site http://www.bts.gov/programs/oai/fuel/fuelyearly.html, as of July 5, 2000.
1999: Ibid., Pesonal communication, July 27, 2000.