U.S. Airlines March 2021 Fuel Use Up 33% from February

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

Fuel consumed by U.S. airlines scheduled service:

March 2020           1.2 billion gallons
February 2021     757 million gallons
March 2021           1.0 billion gallons

U.S. airlines used 33% more fuel in March 2021 than in February 2021 to reach the highest monthly consumption level since March 2020. In March 2021, airlines used 86% of the amount of fuel that they did in March 2020. 

Fuel cost per gallon for U.S. airlines scheduled service:
            
March 2020        $1.48 
February 2021    $1.60
March 2021        $1.85    
    

The March 2021 cost per gallon ($1.85) for aviation fuel was the highest since January 2020 ($1.98), up 25 cents per gallon from February 2021 ($1.60) and up 37 cents per gallon from March 2020 ($1.48).

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

March 2020        $1.7 billion 
February 2021    $1.2 billion
March 2021        $1.9 billion

Total March 2021 fuel cost ($1.9 billion) was the highest since February 2020 ($2.4 billion). 

The Fuel Cost and Consumption page can be found at 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 price changes. The monthly web update with April data is scheduled for June 2.

Individual airline numbers  through December are available on the BTS website. Individual airline numbers for January, February and March will be available with the BTS first-quarter 2021 financial release on June 14.

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