Table 4-8: Certificated Air Carrier Fuel Consumption and Travela
| 1960 | 1965 | 1970 | 1975 | 1980 | 1985 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | (R) 1997 | (R) 1998 | (R) 1999 | (R) 2000 | (R) 2001 | (R) 2002 | (R) 2003 | (R) 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | (R) 2008 | (R) 2009 | 2010 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 8,176 | 8,186 | 8,225 | 8,089 | 8,044 | 7,856 | U | U |
| Average miles flown per aircraft (thousands) | 487 | 667 | 949 | 932 | 768 | 740 | 777 | 770 | 669 | 701 | 726 | 759 | (R) 790 | 735 | 707 | 737 | 804 | 763 | 803 | 896 | 972 | 1,003 | 1,016 | 1,046 | 1,036 | U | U |
| Aircraft-miles (millions) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic operations | 858 | 1,134 | 2,068 | 1,948 | 2,523 | 3,046 | 3,963 | 3,854 | 3,995 | 4,156 | 4,378 | 4,628 | 4,807 | 4,437 | 4,480 | 4,774 | 5,089 | 5,110 | 5,230 | 5,896 | 6,366 | (R) 6,529 | (R) 6,423 | (R) 6,534 | 6,247 | 5,757 | 5,807 |
| International operations | 182 | 284 | 475 | 377 | 401 | 415 | 760 | 807 | 904 | 958 | 975 | 998 | (R) 1,103 | 1,160 | 1,256 | 1,294 | 1,385 | 1,373 | 1,348 | 1,426 | 1,592 | (R) 1,723 | (R) 1,798 | (R) 1,881 | 1,895 | 1,778 | 1,859 |
| Fuel consumption (million gallons) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic operations | 1,954 | 3,889 | 8,009 | 7,558 | 8,519 | 10,115 | (R) 12,212 | (R) 11,360 | (R) 11,598 | (R) 11,960 | (R) 12,501 | (R) 12,812 | 13,187 | 13,658 | 13,303 | 14,491 | 14,865 | 13,868 | 12,922 | 13,082 | 14,091 | 13,976 | 13,694 | 13,682 | 12,686 | 11,339 | 11,256 |
| International operations | 566 | 1,280 | 2,136 | 1,949 | (R) 2,033 | 2,488 | (R) 3,938 | (R) 3,888 | (R) 4,079 | (R) 4,112 | (R) 4,325 | (R) 4,511 | 4,658 | 4,962 | 4,915 | 5,277 | 5,508 | 5,336 | 5,079 | 5,219 | 5,592 | 5,975 | 6,018 | 6,205 | 6,187 | 5,721 | 6,028 |
| Aircraft-miles flown per gallon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic operations | 0.44 | 0.29 | 0.26 | 0.26 | 0.30 | 0.30 | (R) 0.32 | (R) 0.34 | 0.34 | 0.35 | 0.35 | (R) 0.36 | 0.36 | 0.32 | 0.34 | 0.33 | 0.34 | 0.37 | 0.40 | 0.45 | 0.45 | (R) 0.47 | (R) 0.47 | (R) 0.48 | 0.49 | 0.51 | 0.52 |
| International operations | 0.32 | 0.22 | 0.22 | 0.19 | (R) 0.20 | 0.17 | (R) 0.19 | (R) 0.21 | 0.22 | 0.23 | 0.23 | 0.22 | (R) 0.24 | 0.23 | 0.26 | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.26 | 0.27 | 0.27 | 0.28 | (R) 0.29 | (R) 0.30 | (R) 0.30 | 0.31 | 0.31 | 0.31 |
KEY: R = revised; U = data are unavailable.
a Aircraft operating under 14 CFR 121 and 14 CFR 135.
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.
1998-2008: Aerospace Industries Association, Aerospace Facts and Figures (Washington DC: Annual Issues), "Active U.S. Air Carrier Fleet", p. 94 and similar pages in earlier editions.
Aircraft-miles flown:
1960: Civil Aeronautics Board, Handbook of Airline Statistics 1969 (Washington, DC: 1970), part III, tables 2 and 13.
1965-1970: Ibid., Handbook of Airline Statistics 1973 (Washington, DC: 1974), part III, tables 2 and 13.
1975-1980: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Carrier Traffic Statistics (Washington, DC: December 1976), pp. 4 and 14; and (December 1981), pp. 2 and 3.
1985: Ibid., Air Carrier Traffic Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual December Issues), pp. 2 and 3, line 27 plus line 50.
1990-2010: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, Air Carrier Traffic Statistics, available at http://www.bts.gov/xml/air_traffic/src/index.xml#CustomizeTable as of Aug. 17, 2011.
Fuel consumption:
1960-75: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, personal communication, June 8, 2010.
1980-2010: Ibid., Fuel Cost and Consumption, available at http://www.bts.gov/xml/fuel/report/src/index.xml as of Aug. 16, 2011.