Establishing a Benchmark of Fuel Efficiency for Commercial Airline Operations

Abstract

Fuel efficiency is vital for commercial airlines as fuel is one of the most costly items for airline operations. This study aims to compare fuel efficiencies of selected airlines around the globe and to build a benchmark of fuel efficiency that can be referred to by airlines. By using data on fuel consumption and traffic output collected from various sources including airline annual reports, environmental reports and sustainability reports, this study calculated fuel efficiencies measured by liters of fuel consumed per revenue tonne kilometer (RTK) for the selected airlines in the calendar year 2011 or financial year 2010–2011. Airlines were also compared and ranked by their respective fuel efficiencies. It was found that, depending on whether the passenger equivalent freight mass (PEFM) was 91 kg or 160 kg, the average fuel efficiency of the airlines studied is 0.4 L/RTK or 0.278 L/RTK, respectively. Variances in fuel efficiency among airlines from different regions and airlines of different business models were also found by this study.