How much does jet fuel cost in dollars?

The fuel used by commercial jet engines is Jet A-1 (Jet A in the United States), a refined kerosene with very strict specifications. It has no single price: it trades in regional markets (Gulf Coast, Rotterdam, Singapore, Mediterranean) and is quoted in dollars per barrel, per gallon, or per metric ton. IATA publishes a weekly weighted index based on Platts quotes; at the start of 2026 the global average stood at around $85-100 per barrel, about $0.55-0.65 per liter. In 2022, after the invasion of Ukraine, the index exceeded $150, and in spring 2020 it fell below $40.

Kerosene always costs more than a barrel of Brent because the refining margin (the crack spread) has to be added, along with pipeline or ship transport to the airport, storage in the airfield's tanks, and the into-plane fee charged by the company that fuels the aircraft. That differential normally runs around $15-30 per barrel, but it spiked in 2022 due to a lack of refining capacity for middle distillates. In Europe, the cost of emissions allowances is added, and since 2025, the requirement to blend in 2% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which costs several times more than fossil kerosene.

An Airbus A320 burns about 2,500 kg of fuel per cruise hour, just over 3,000 liters, so each hour costs on the order of $1,800-2,000 in kerosene alone. For a Boeing 777 on a seven-hour transatlantic flight, the bill exceeds $30,000. That's why fuel accounts for between 25% and 30% of airlines' operating costs, according to IATA, and many hedge part of the risk with futures contracts that lock in the price months in advance.