Flight Fuel Burn Calculator
Estimate the fuel a flight burns from distance and aircraft size, then see it as litres, CO2, and fuel per passenger.
Distance times burn rate is most of the answer
Fuel burn is the hinge between a route and its emissions. Because larger aircraft burn more per kilometre but spread it across more seats, the interesting number is almost always per passenger, not per flight. That is the figure that decides whether a route is genuinely efficient.
Feed the total into the SAF Blend & CO2 Savings calculator to see how a sustainable-fuel blend would cut it, or into the Fuel Cost per Flight calculator to price the uplift.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do the burn rates come from?
Each aircraft class has a representative cruise-average fuel burn per kilometre: about 2.4 kg/km for a regional turboprop or regional jet, 3.1 kg/km for a single-aisle narrowbody like an A320 or 737, and 7.5 kg/km for a twin-aisle widebody like a 787, A350, or 777. These are round-number averages for a like-for-like comparison, not certified figures for a specific tail number.
Why does fuel per passenger matter more than total fuel?
A widebody burns far more fuel than a regional jet, but it also carries many more people. Fuel — and therefore CO2 — per passenger is the fairer measure of how efficient a flight is. Enter a seat count and the tool divides the total by it, so you can compare a full narrowbody against a half-empty widebody on equal footing.
What affects real fuel burn the most?
Distance and aircraft type dominate, but real burn also moves with payload weight, cruise altitude and speed, head- or tailwinds, routing and air-traffic delays, taxi and holding time, and the age and condition of the specific engines. Short hops are disproportionately thirsty because climb burns fuel fast and cruise is brief.
How do I turn fuel into CO2?
The tool already shows combustion CO2 using the standard 3.16 kg of CO2 per kg of jet fuel. For a closer look at that step, or to try a different emission factor, use the Jet Fuel CO2 Emissions calculator.
Educational estimate only. Preset burn rates are class averages; real burn depends on the specific aircraft, load, weather, and routing.