A Boeing 747 consumes about 10-11 tonnes of jet fuel each hour, equal to roughly 4,600 gallons (11,400 liters). This translates to 1 gallon - about 4 liters-every second, or 5 gallons per mile (12 liters per kilometer). Over a typical 10-hour flight, the same aircraft will burn approximately 36,000 gallons (150,000 liters), illustrating the vast quantities of fuel required for long-haul operations.
Expert behind this article
Jim Goodrich
Jim Goodrich is a pilot, aviation expert and founder of Tsunami Air.
What is the fuel capacity of an airplane?
The fuel capacity of an airplane varies with size. A small airplane fuel tank capacity is 40-80 gallons (151.4-302.8 liters), while the Cessna trainer holds 50-60 gallons (189.3-227.1 liters) and the Cessna Skylane has a fuel capacity of 88 US gallons (333.0 liters) including 10% reserve. A Beechcraft 1900D commuter airplane carries 665 Gal/2,520 liters of fuel, a figure that illustrates the step up to regional airplane classes.
For large passenger airplanes, the fuel capacity varies - widebody airliners can exceed 50,000 gallons (189,271 liters), the Boeing 747-100 could carry 48,400 gallons (183,203 liters), the newer 747-8 can carry over 60,000 gallons (227,125 liters), the Boeing 747-8i Intercontinental can carry 238,610 liters (63,034 gallons), and the Antonov AN-225 can carry over 98,000 gallons (375,000 liters). The Airbus A350-900 has a fuel capacity of 166,488 liters (43,981 gallons), the Airbus A350-1000 has a fuel capacity of 164,000 litres (43,329 gallons), and the Airbus A330-900neo has a fuel capacity of 139,090 litres (36,743 gallons). The Airbus A380 has a total fuel capacity of around 320,000 litres (approximately 84,535 US gallons). This fuel is stored in 11 separate tanks located within the wings and fuselage, giving the A380 the greatest normal fuel capacity of any commercial airplane.
Big aircraft can haul over 200,000 liters of gasoline, a volume needed for long distance flights. This displays the aircraft industry’s mission to connect vast distances. I was intrigued by the amount of gas an aircraft could carry, handle, and use across thousands of kilometers.
Jim GoodrichPilot, Airplane Broker and Founder of Tsunami Air
How big is an airplane gas tank?
The size of an airplane’s gas tank varies. A small Cessna trainer holds 50-60 gallons (189.27-227.12 liters), while the Cessna 172S has two tanks of 28 gallons (106.00 liters) each for a total of 56 gallons (211.99 liters). Midsize private jets carry 1,000-2,500 gallons (3,785-9,464 liters), and large business jets hold thousands more. Commuter types like the Beechcraft 1900D are equipped with 665 gal/2,520 liters.
Biggest tanks ride on widebody airliners that exceed 50,000 gallons (189,271 liters). The Airbus A380 has two inner tanks that contain more than 90,600 liters (23,934 gallons) each, two mid-tanks hold about 72,000 liters (18,998 gallons) between them, inner-engine 2 and 3 feed tanks that contain 28,130 liters (7,431 gallons) each, and the tail tank accepts up to 23,698 liters (6,260 gallons). The passenger-version wing holds 64,225 US gal of jet fuel and the cargo wing holds 60,925 US gal. For the new long-range Airbus A321XLR, a rear-center integral tank adds 12,900 liters (3,408 gallons) within the fuselage.
All of these capacities are achieved with light, structural tanks. Integral wet wings seal unused areas inside the aircraft structure, providing the most space per unit weight, while one tank is mounted in each wing and long-haul aircraft add a trim tank in the tail.
What is the maximum fuel load for an airplane?
The maximum fuel load for an airplane is dictated by tank volume, maximum allowable fuel weight, and the need to keep the aircraft within its certified maximum gross weight. Widebody airliners can exceed 50,000 gallons (189,271 liters). A full long-haul fuel load of this size adds over 300,000 lbs (136,078 kg) to the aircraft's total weight. Because fuel weight is heavy, this mass must be treated as part of the useful load - the expendable portion that includes passengers, cargo, crew, and drainable oil.
Even when the tanks can physically hold more, the usable fuel load is often limited by the maximum allowable fuel weight printed in the flight manual. If the flight is booked to maximum passenger load, the pilot must often reduce the fuel load or baggage to guarantee the ramp, takeoff, and landing weights remain legal. Some heavy long-haul aircraft exceed their maximum structural landing weight on initial touchdown because of the heavy fuel load still on board. This situation is accounted for in the flight plan and usually burned off en route.
Dispatchers and pilots therefore treat fuel as an active variable: every gallon loaded displaces an equivalent weight of payload. The airline payload fraction of modern twin-aisle aircraft is 18.4% to 20.8% of their maximum take-off weight, illustrating how closely fuel, passengers, and cargo must be balanced. The aircraft must not be loaded beyond its maximum gross weight, so the maximum fuel load is always the lesser of tank volume, maximum allowable fuel weight, or the weight that, when combined with payload, keeps the airplane within its certified limits.
What is the fuel capacity of a Boeing airplane?
A Boeing 747-100 could carry 48,400 gallons of fuel (183,245 liters). The Boeing 747-400 holds about 57,000 gallons (215,768 liters). The Boeing 747-8 carries over 60,000 gallons (227,125 liters): the 747-8f freighter takes 59,734 US gal (226,113 liters), while the 747-8i Intercontinental carries 63,034 US gal (238,605 liters). Fuel is stored in 11 separate tanks within the wings and fuselage; the passenger version holds 64,225 US gal and the cargo wing holds 60,925 US gal.
How much fuel does an airplane use?
The amount of fuel used by an airplane varies. A small Citation burns around 140-180 gallons per hour (529.96-681.37 liters per hour) in cruise, while a Citation CJ3 uses 124-116 gallons per hour (469.30-439.16 liters per hour). Very light jets typically use 120-220 gallons per hour (454-833 liters per hour), midsize and super-midsize jets consume 200-300 gallons per hour (757-1,136 liters per hour), and the Bombardier Global 7500 burns 528 gallons per hour (2,000 liters per hour).
Single-aisle jets like the Boeing 737-800 use about 2.5-3 tons (5,500-6,600 pounds) of fuel per hour, and several hundred gallons are consumed within the initial 15-20 minutes of flight. Large, long-range widebody aircraft can consume several thousand gallons per hour: a Boeing 747 uses approximately 1 gallon (about 4 liters) every second, a Boeing 777 consumes 7-8 tons (about 15,432-17,637 lbs) per hour, and an Airbus A380 uses around 11-12 tons (about 24,251-26,455 lbs) - about 4,600 gallons - each hour.
On a typical flight, around 10% of the total fuel is used during taxi, takeoff and climb, and about 5% is consumed during descent. For a half-hour descent, two engines burn through about 300 kg (661.4 lbs) of fuel.
I have constantly been intrigued by the gas expenditure in air travel. A big aircraft like a Boeing 747 can consume roughly one quart of gas every second. The level of gas consumption demands environmental consideration, for I cannot dismiss the carbon mark related to each trip. The huge force needed to pick up hundreds of travelers and freight into the atmosphere, and to maintain flying for days, explains the volume. Yet I recognize the need for aviation and how it makes worldwide connection a possibility.
Jim GoodrichPilot, Airplane Broker and Founder of Tsunami Air
How much fuel does an airplane consume per kilometer?
An A380 consumes about 11.8 to 13.5 liters of fuel per kilometer flown (0.28 to 0.32 gallons per mile), while the newer A350 to Hong Kong uses 6.0 litres of fuel per kilometer (0.14 gallons per mile). The A321neo, a much smaller aircraft, uses an average of 2.7 litres of fuel per kilometer (0.6 gallons per mile).
Boeing 747 models burn around 12 liters of fuel per kilometer (25.8 gallons of fuel per mile). The Boeing 747-8 consumes 2.65 L per 100 km (0.098 gallons per mile). The Boeing 777 200 consumes 2.80 L per 100 km (0.66 mpg), and the Boeing 777 300ER consumes 2.90 L per 100 km (0.64 mpg).
Fuel consumption per kilometer does not reflect relative aircraft size and capacity. Despite high fuel burn per kilometer, the A380's fuel consumption per kilometer is impressive for an aircraft of its size.
How much fuel do airplanes need?
The amount of fuel needed by an airplane varies. The smallest trainers use a few dozen gallons (approximately 189 liters) before take-off, while widebody airliners can exceed 50,000 gallons (approximately 189,270 liters) in their tanks and burn through several thousand gallons (approximately 3,785 liters) per hour on long sectors. Trip fuel, the legal minimum, is the fuel required to reach the intended destination, but every flight must also carry reserve, alternate, taxi and discretionary loads. ICAO Annex 6 Part I section 4.3.6 defines fuel requirements for commercial flights: after completing the trip, a jet requires 30 minutes of fuel and a turboprop requires 45 minutes of fuel, both calculated at holding speed. Aircraft fuel requirements include contingency fuel, alternate fuel - 603 kg (1329.3 lbs) in a typical case - and taxi fuel - 155 kg (341.7 lbs). Additional fuel is fuel that is usually carried if there is no alternative available, and extra fuel is any surplus fuel carried for other purposes like tankering or price arbitrage. Discretionary fuel is the amount the pilot in command wants above the regulatory minimum. Together, these layers turn the simple question of tank capacity into a carefully balanced fuel plan suited to every route and every aircraft.
The sheer amount of gas a jet needs testifies to the vast work required to elevate hundreds of loads of metal, freight, and people to cruising height. From my view, the inquiry of requirement strikes a proportion between security, efficiency, and finance, while the airline also needs spare fuel to account for unexpected conditions.
Jim GoodrichPilot, Airplane Broker and Founder of Tsunami Air
Does airplane fuel burn?
Yes, airplane fuel burns. Jet fuel is a highly refined, combustible liquid, primarily composed of hydrocarbons. It does not ignite easily and is safer to handle than gasoline, with a flash point above 38°C (100°F). Jet fuel burns at temperatures ranging from 980°C (1,800°F) to 1,500°C (2,732°F) in a jet engine combustion chamber. The en-route phase of flight burns the highest amount of jet fuel, with cruising accounting for approximately 96% of total fuel burned for a long-haul flight between London Heathrow and Hong Kong.
The gasoline’s burning response is within the plane’s motors. The bulk of the gasoline is converted into heat, and this directed blast generates the propulsion that propels the aircraft ahead. A little portion stays as unburned gasoline, yet contemporary plane motors are intended to obtain great strength from every drop of gas.
Are airplanes fuel efficient?
Fuel efficiency in aviation refers to how effectively an aircraft uses fuel to transport passengers or cargo over a given distance. Airplanes are fast and efficient because they can operate in a low friction setting, yet the answer depends on aircraft design, weight, engine performance, flight routes, and weather conditions. Newer, more advanced aircraft are generally more fuel efficient than older models. For example, jet airliners became 70% more fuel efficient between 1967 and 2007, with 40% of that gain from improvements in engine efficiency and 30% from airframes. Four-engine aircraft tend to be less fuel efficient than twinjets due to higher wing weight and a smaller engine fan diameter, while larger planes are more fuel efficient per passenger because of economies of scale.
How does airplane fuel intake affect efficiency? Up to a point, airplanes become more fuel efficient the faster they go, because speed optimization apps reveal an ideal cruise Mach where engines and airframe are most efficient. Continuous advancements in technology and operational practices are key drivers in refining aviation fuel efficiency, and efforts include using sustainable aviation fuels, implementing air traffic management systems to optimize flight routes, and reducing weight. Fuel efficiency is increased with better aerodynamics, better engine brake specific fuel consumption, propulsive efficiency, and thrust specific fuel consumption. Higher altitude improves fuel efficiency because thinner air means less drag, and longer flights mean more time cruising at optimal altitudes.
Modern aircraft are high-tech innovations whose effective motors tap every drop of gasoline, so the total of kerosene taken per traveler is less in the atmosphere. The capacity to propel hundreds of passengers across a sea in a moment of time with efficiency is an accomplishment, yet I recognize air travel is a leading contributor to world-wide emissions.
Jim GoodrichPilot, Airplane Broker and Founder of Tsunami Air
