Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)
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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 2000 2001 2002 2003
Number of aircraft 2,135 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 8,111 8,228 8,055 8,497 8,194 U
Average kilometers flown per aircraft (thousands) 784 1,074 1,528 1,500 1,236 1,191 1,250 1,239 1,077 1,129 1,170 1,222 1,260 1,273 1,236 1,283 1,388 1,291 1,344 U
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 7,903 8,103 8,581 9,115 8,929 (R) 9,039 9,793
International operations 293 457 764 607 645 668 1,223 1,299 1,455 1,547 1,577 1,606 1,679 1,793 1,918 1,971 2,063 2,037 1,971 2,005
Fuel consumption (million liters)                                        
Domestic operations 7,397 14,721 29,742 28,610 32,248 38,289 47,049 43,555 44,528 45,270 47,227 48,499 49,918 51,709 52,530 54,518 56,194 53,060 48,635 49,054
International operations 2,143 4,845 8,491 7,378 6,613 9,418 15,002 14,915 15,596 15,569 16,319 17,076 17,632 18,791 19,631 19,873 20,725 19,824 18,893 18,308
Aircraft-kilometers flown per liter                                        
Domestic operations 0.19 0.12 0.11 0.11 0.13 0.13 0.14 0.14 0.14 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.16 0.15 0.15 0.16 0.16 0.17 0.19 0.20
International operations 0.14 0.09 0.09 0.08 0.10 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.09 0.10 0.10 0.09 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.10 0.11

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

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

NOTES

1.609344 kilometers = 1 mile.

3.385412 liters = 1 gallon.

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1990-97: Ibid., FAA Statistical Handbook of Aviation, Calendar Year 1997 (Washington, DC: unpublished), personal communication, Mar. 19, 1999.

1998-2002: Aerospace Industries Association, Aerospace Facts and Figures (Washington DC: Annual Issues), "Active U.S. Air Carrier Fleet."

Aircraft-miles 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.

1985-2001: 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.

2002-2003: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Carrier Traffic Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues, December), pp. 3 and 4, line 25 plus line 46.

Fuel consumption:

1960-2003: 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 June 25, 2004.



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