The flood of bad economic news in aviation has all but overshadowed the drop in fuel prices. Dire predictions of $8 per gallon for 100LL have proved overly pessimistic-at least for now. (The drop in oil prices from $140 per barrel to just over $50 in a few months is unprecedented. So who knows whether or not it might skyrocket again.) Even at some small airports in the high-priced East, such as Somerset Airport in central New Jersey, fuel prices have dipped below $4 after rising perilously close to $6 less than two months ago. For a wider, more scientific sampling, AirNav’s numbers for this week (airnav.com/fuel/report) show prices averaging $4.50 nationwide, with a low of $2.38 and a high of $8.70. Those statistics cover a sampling of 3,666 FBOs across the country. The top-end figures were found in the Northeast sector of the country, and in Alaska. The best bargains on fuel are in the Southwest, where 554 FBOs register a low price of $2.60, a high of $7.23 and an average of $4.23 per gallon for 100LL. Excluding Alaska ($5.01 average price per gallon), New England is the most expensive for avgas, with an average price of $4.89, a low of $3.29 and a high of $6.91. For those seeking out savings on jet-A, most of the same rules apply. Nationally, turbine fuel averages $4.52 per gallon with a low of $2.61 and a high of $8.85. Exactly what the lower fuel prices mean for general aviation in the long term remains to be seen.
Aviation Fuel Prices Are Now Mirroring Car Gas Reductions
Key Takeaways:
- Aviation fuel prices (100LL and Jet-A) have significantly decreased nationwide, with 100LL averaging around $4.50 per gallon, largely due to a sharp drop in crude oil prices.
- Dire predictions of $8 per gallon for 100LL have proven overly pessimistic, as prices have fallen from nearly $6 to below $4 at some high-cost locations.
- Fuel bargains are most prevalent in the Southwest, while the Northeast (including New England) and Alaska generally report the highest prices for both 100LL and Jet-A.
- The long-term implications of these lower fuel costs for general aviation are not yet clear.
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