Here’s How Much it Costs to Fuel a Private Jet

How much does it cost to fuel a private jet?

This is an important question whether you are thinking of renting or owning your own aircraft.

Fuel is a necessary part of flying. It is expensive. Therefore, fuel is one of the largest variable costs of flying. That is, the more you fly, the more fuel you use, and therefore, the more you spend. Therefore, knowing the private jet fuel cost and private jet fuel consumption is critical.

As a result, many ask the question of how much does it really cost to fuel a private jet? What are the actual fuel costs? And how much fuel do these jets use? The short answer is thousands per hour. However, as always in aviation, the actual number will vary depending on factors such as aircraft size, mission length, and atmospheric conditions.

Knowing this information is important no matter if you rent (through a private jet charter) or own your own aircraft. In any situation, if the aircraft you are flying needs more fuel, you will be paying. This is especially true during aircraft ownership and among private jet owners.

Today, Jet A costs about $7.92 a gallon at a U.S. FBO by our estimate, and fuel for an hour of flying runs from about $895 an hour for a very light jet to about $3,627 for an ultra-long-range jet. Every figure below uses today's price and updates with it; the jet fuel price page has the daily price and its history.

Please read this article to see the exact hourly fuel burn figures of every type of private jet.

Airplanes Use Special Fuel

Private jets don’t use the same type of fuel that you use to fill up your car or truck. Nor do they use the same type of fuel that a small piston aircraft would use.

Jet aircraft use the appropriately named Jet Fuel.

There are many reasons that airplanes use different fuel to regular gasoline. To start with, Jet Fuel has a lower freezing point than regular gasoline. This is important as private jets get high. Very high. Some aircraft fly as high as 51,000 feet. The higher you get, the colder the air.

Secondly, Jet Fuel has a higher flash point than gasoline. As a result, Jet Fuel is able to provide greater power and efficiency compared to regular gasoline.

Jet Fuel also has a lower viscosity than regular gasoline. This means that Jet Fuel isn’t as thick as regular gasoline. As a result, Jet Fuel is less likely to block pipes and easily travel through the airplane.

Finally, jet fuel is priced separately from gasoline: the jet fuel price page charts the two side by side. The price matters because private jets use a large quantity of fuel. Even a 10% increase in the price of fuel can have a significant effect on the cost per hour to fly the aircraft. This, therefore, will impact the overall operating costs of any private jet.

What Is Jet A & Jet A-1 Fuel?

The two main types of Jet Fuel. Jet A and Jet A-1. Both types are produced to a standardized international specification.

Within the United States, Jet A is the standard fuel type available. For the rest of the world, however, Jet A-1 is the standard fuel type available.

Thankfully, as one might suspect from the names, these fuel types are very similar. Aircraft are not restricted to either Jet A or Jet A-1. The primary difference between the Jet A and Jet A-1 is the freezing point.

Jet A-1 fuel has a lower freezing point, coming in at -47°C / −53 °F. Whereas Jet A fuel has a freezing point of −40 °C (−40 °F).

Jet Fuel Price Per Gallon: How Much Does it Cost?

There are two prices for a gallon of jet fuel. The wholesale spot price is what bulk fuel trades for on the U.S. Gulf Coast, before delivery and tax; the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) publishes it. The price a private jet actually pays is set by the FBO, the private terminal at each airport, and adds delivery, taxes, airport fees and the FBO's margin.

On October 14, 2026 the spot price was $4.56 a gallon. At the FBO, Jet A averages about $7.92 a gallon by our estimate. Posted prices vary by several dollars a gallon from one airport to the next: large airports tend to charge more than small ones, and operators that fly often buy on contract below the posted price.

The fuel that matters for a private jet is Jet A. 100LL (avgas) is the fuel a piston aircraft such as a Cessna 172 burns, and it is priced separately.

See today's jet fuel price, with a chart back to 1990.

Fuel prices move every day, and some charter and jet card programs add a fuel surcharge when they rise. Ask whether fuel is included in the rate you are quoted.

Private Jet Fuel Burn Per Hour

Different aircraft models burn different quantities of fuel per hour, with different fuel burn rates (e.g. a light jet will burn less fuel than a VIP airliner). The basic rule of thumb is that the larger the aircraft the great the fuel burn per hour. Additionally, the larger the aircraft, the heavier it will be. Therefore, aircraft weight will impact fuel consumption.

Fuel burn per hour is measured in Gallons Per Hour (GPH).

While fuel burn is different for different aircraft, we can extract some averages for the class of private jet. Keep in mind that these are just averages.

By jet size, the median burn of the models in our ownership-cost data is in the table further down. Every model's hourly burn is here, and the fuel burn calculator works out any model and any number of hours.

Private Jet Fuel Tank Capacity

In order to calculate the cost to fuel a private jet, it is critical to know the amount of fuel each aircraft can carry.

In the world of private jets, fuel is often measured by weight. Therefore, the maximum fuel capacity of aircraft is measured in pounds (lbs). A gallon of Jet A weighs about 6.7 lb, the figure our fuel burn calculator uses to convert between the two. Additionally, you can use this simple formula to convert lbs of fuel into gallons.

In order to calculate the total fuel capacity of private jets, we will choose a selection. It is important to consider the different costs and fuel capacities of all kinds of jets. From a light jet all the way up to flagship ultra long-range aircraft.

Fuel Capacity of a Selection of Private Jets

Prices, specs and the aircraft flying today for each are on Radar: HondaJet, Phenom 300, PC-24 and G650.

The Total Cost to Fuel a Private Jet

So then, what is the total cost to fuel a private jet?

Fuel cost per hour is the burn rate times the price a gallon. At today's estimated FBO price of $7.92 a gallon:

At $7.92 a gallon, our estimate of today's U.S. average FBO price (October 14, 2026). Burn is the median of the models in our ownership-cost data for each size.

Filling a jet from empty to full is its capacity times the price. It is highly unlikely that these aircraft are ever filled from completely empty, but it shows the scale.

Cost to fill a private jet from empty to full at $7.92 a gallon, our estimate of today's U.S. average FBO price

So the fuel for an hour of flying costs about $895 an hour for a very light jet to about $3,627 for an ultra-long-range jet, and filling a jet from empty runs from about $3,374 for a HondaJet to about $57,262 for a G650ER.

The Gulfstream G650ER can fly a maximum distance of 7,500 nautical miles without needing to refuel, so its fuel costs about $7.63 per nautical mile at today's price.

Fuel on a Typical Trip

On a trip, the fuel is the hourly figure times the hours flown. Below, one jet from each size, from a light Phenom 300E to an ultra-long-range G650, with what each costs to run; the fuel column is at today's price.

Fixed and variable costs from CRAFT's cost model, as on each model's ownership-cost page (estimates, before purchase price and depreciation). Fuel per hour is the model's average burn at $7.92 a gallon, our estimate of today's U.S. average FBO price for Jet A (jet fuel price today).

Fuel is one part of the bill. For what a whole flight costs by jet size, see private jet cost by the hour, or pick a city: Las Vegas, Miami, New York, Houston and every city we price. The free private jet tools work out fuel, emissions and range for any model.

Summary

So then, what can be concluded for calculating the cost to fuel a private jet?

As we have seen, there are several different factors that will impact the cost to fuel a private jet. Factors such as weight, flight time, aircraft model, number of passengers, if there are two pilots, aircraft weight, and even weather conditions.

However, the general rule of thumb is that larger planes use the most fuel. Larger aircraft carry more fuel, passengers, have bigger engines, all of which result in a great fuel burn figure.

Featured Image: Chris H. Galbraith / Shutterstock.com