How much fuel does a Jumbo Jet (Boeing 747-400) burn?
What fuel does a jumbo jet use between London and New York?
How Much Fuel Does a Jumbo Jet Burn?
The four engines of the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet burn approximately 10 to 11 tonnes of fuel an hour when in the cruise. This equates to roughly 1 gallon (approximately 4 litres) of fuel every second. It can carry a maximum of 238,604 liters of fuel and it has a range of about 7,790 nautical miles.
A Jumbo Jet (Boeing 747-400) flying from London to New York burns approximately 70,000 kilograms of fuel. Jet fuel has an approximate specific gravity of 0.85, which therefore equates to 82,353 litres.
Therefore, the cost of the fuel (based on 1 litre costing 31 pence) required to fly from London to New York is approximately £18,500 (€23,600). The cost of fuel for a a jumbo jet carrying 450 passengers, would work out as about £41 (€52) per person.
Dwindling Numbers
The worldwide Jumbo Jet fleets are getting smaller with none now in operational service with UK airlines. Both British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic retired their B747 fleet earlier than planned due to the reduction in travel demand as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Some airlines continue to operate the B747-8, the latest passenger version of the Jumbo Jet, such as Lufthansa. Boeing plans on stopping production of the Jumbo in 2022.
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How Much Does a B747 Jumbo Jet Weigh?
How Much Does a Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet Weigh?
The maximum weight of a Boeing 747-400 Jumbo Jet is 910,000 lbs or 412,000 KGS. This is equivalent of 325 double decker buses! It would reach this weight when it is full of passengers and has a lot of fuel onboard.
The weight of an empty Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet without any passengers, freight or fuel is 412,300 lbs or 187,000 KGS. To put it in perspective, this is more than 4 times heavier than the empty weight of a Boeing 737-800 (which is 91,300 lb / 41,413 kg).
The maximum fuel capacity of the B747 is about 230,000 litres, which is about 184,000 KGS. If the Jumbo is carrying a full fuel load and this is added to the empty operating weight of the aircraft, it leaves about 41,000 KGS of weight for passenger and freight.
Maximum Cargo Weight of the B747
The special cargo version of the B747-8F Jumbo Jet can carry up to 134,000 KGS of cargo. This is the equivalent of about 78 BMW 3 Series cars, so it’s certainly a lot! However, the cargo space is limited to 856m3
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A plane like a Boeing 747 uses approximately 1 gallon of fuel (about 4 liters) every second. Over the course of a 10-hour flight, it might burn 36,000 gallons (150,000 liters). According to Boeing's Web site, the 747 burns approximately 5 gallons of fuel per mile (12 liters per kilometer).
This sounds like a tremendously poor miles-per-gallon rating! But consider that a 747 can carry as many as 568 people. Let's call it 500 people to take into account the fact that not all seats on most flights are occupied. A 747 is transporting 500 people 1 mile using 5 gallons of fuel. That means the plane is burning 0.01 gallons per person per mile. In other words, the plane is getting 100 miles per gallon per person! The typical car gets about 25 miles per gallon, so the 747 is much better than a car carrying one person, and compares favorably even if there are four people in the car. Not bad when you consider that the 747 is flying at 550 miles per hour (900 km/h)!
These links will help you learn more:
- Boeing: 747 Family
- NASA: Thrust Specific Fuel Consumption
- How Airplanes Work
- How Gas Turbine Engines Work
- How Concordes Work
- How do afterburners work?
Originally Published: Apr 1, 2000
Plane Fuel FAQ
Which fuel is used in airplanes?
There are a few types used. Jet A and Jet A-1 are colorless, easily combustible, kerosene-based fuels used in turbine engine airplanes. Aviation gasoline (AVGAS) is another type of fuel, but is only used in small piston-engine airplanes.
Why is kerosene used as a jet fuel?
Kerosene-based fuels are used for large planes because the flash point of kerosene is higher than gasoline. Gasoline is not as efficient and does not provide the level of power that kerosene can.
What is the price of aviation fuel?
As of May 2021, the average nationwide price of Jet-A fuel is $4.42 per gallon, but the prices change regularly depending on a variety of factors.
Is jet fuel diesel?
No, there is a clear difference between jet fuel and diesel. The former has a high sulfur content while the latter has low sulfur content. Jet fuel is generally kerosene-based.