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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

U.S. Airlines’ April 2026 Aviation Fuel Cost up 26.2%, Consumption down 2.6%, and Fuel Cost per Gallon up 29.6% from March 2026

Friday, June 5, 2026

BTS 26-44

This release is published on a fixed schedule as required by the Office of Management and Budget, and statistics in this release may be revised when inputs to the statistics are corrected or updated. Data on the program page of this website are the most up-to-date and complete. All costs are in current dollars. All fuel consumption data is in regard to fuel paid for by the carrier.

The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today released U.S. airlines’ April 2026 fuel cost and consumption numbers indicating total fuel expenditure ($6.47B) of U.S. scheduled service airlines was up 26.2% from March 2026 ($5.12B) and up 78.0% from April 2025 ($3.63B). The airlines used 1.573 billion gallons of fuel, 2.6% less fuel than in March 2026 (1.615 billion gallons) and 0.2% less fuel than April 2025 (1.575 billion gallons). The cost per gallon of fuel in April 2026 ($4.11) was up 94 cents (29.6%) from March 2026 ($3.17) and up 181 cents (78.2%) from April 2025 ($2.31).

Total fuel cost for U.S. airlines (total) scheduled service
April 2025$3.63 billion
March 2026$5.12 billion
April 2026$6.47 billion

 

 

This 2-D line chart1 illustrates U.S airlines fuel cost per gallon for scheduled service by time. The x-axis represents time on a scale from Jan-20 to Apr-26, and the y-axis represents fuel cost per gallon in dollars.2 During this time, the fuel cost per gallon dips to the lowest value ($1.03) in May 20, and increased to the highest value in June 22 ($4.04), then with a downward trend from June 22 to May. 25 ($2.21). The fuel cost per gallon increases between May 2025 and April 2026 (4.11) 3,4,5

 

Fuel cost per gallon for U.S. airlines (total) scheduled service
April 2025$2.31
March 2026$3.17
April 2026$4.11

 

This 2-D line chart1 illustrates U.S airlines fuel consumption for scheduled service by time. The x-axis represents time on a scale from Jan-20 to Apr-26, and the y-axis represents fuel consumption in millions of gallons.2 During this time, the fuel consumption dips to the lowest value (447 million of gallons) in Apr. 20, then with an upward trend from Apr. 20 to Apr. 26 (1,573 million of gallons). 3,4,5
Fuel consumed by U.S. airlines (total) scheduled service
April 20251.57 billion gallons
March 20261.62 billion gallons
April 20261.57 billion gallons

 

Fuel Cost and Consumption data from January 2000 to the present and Summaries by month are also available.

Airline fuel costs may be affected by hedging, contracts that allow airlines to limit exposure to future price changes. None of the cost numbers are adjusted for inflation. The month-to-month numbers are not seasonally adjusted.

Individual airline numbers through December 2025 are available on the BTS website. 

Please Note:
The information provided within BTS statistical releases may not be based on 100% of the carriers required to report. Generally, data is released per schedule if reports have been received from at least 90% of the carriers, along with data from all the major carriers. Also, within text, percent change results may not be exact due to rounding.

Missing Carrier: 3EQ

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