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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 August 2020 Fuel Use Up 5% from July

Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Contact: Dave Smallen
Tel:  202-366-5568
 
 

The Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) today released U.S. airlines’ August Fuel Cost and Consumption numbers.

Fuel consumed by U.S. airlines scheduled service:

August 2019                  1.7 billion gallons
July 2020                      763 million gallons
August 2020                  801 million gallons  

August 2020 fuel consumption was 5% higher than July 2020, 44% higher than June 2020, 77% higher than May 2020 and 79% higher than April 2020. April was the lowest monthly fuel usage on record (447M gallons), dating back to 2000. August 2020 fuel consumption was down 52% from August 2019.

Fuel cost per gallon for U.S. airlines scheduled service:

                                   

August 2019                $1.94
July 2020                    $1.17
August 2020                $1.21  

           

The August 2020 cost per gallon ($1.21) for aviation fuel was up 4 cents per gallon from July 2020 but down 73 cents per gallon from August 2019. The May 2020 cost per gallon ($1.03) was the lowest since April 2004 ($1.01).

 

Total fuel cost for U.S. airlines scheduled service:

August 2019                   $3.2 billion
July 2020                       $895 million
August 2020                   $968 million

Total August 2020 fuel cost in was 8% higher than July 2020, 60% higher than June 2020 and 108% higher than May 2020, which was the lowest on record dating back to 2000. Total fuel cost in August 2020 was down 71% from August 2019.

The Fuel Cost and Consumption page can be found here: https://www.transtats.bts.gov/fuel.asp Summaries by month are also available.

Preliminary fuel cost and consumption numbers are industry summaries only. Airline fuel costs may be affected by hedging, contracts that allow airlines to limit exposure to future changes in fuel prices. The monthly web update with September data is scheduled for Nov. 4.

Individual airline numbers  through June are available on the BTS website. Individual airline numbers for July and August will be available with the BTS third-quarter 2020 financial release on Dec. 7.

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