Fuel Cost In Aviation Industry

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The cost of fuel is at the forefront of all business manager and business owners minds. The fuel cost is direct related to the fuel efficiency of the mode of transport used. The biggest influencing factors are the transport aerodynamics, the type of engine used and the speed of the engine. Firstly aerodynamics, the drag created by the wind requires more fuel to propel the truck or vessel forward. In the figure below one can see what can be done to enhance the aerodynamics of a truck. Adding a roof faring or wind deflector can save almost 7% of fuel. Secondly the type of engine – A well tuned and maintained engine runs better and is more fuel efficient. The use of a diesel engine in a truck is more fuel efficient than using a petrol engine…show more content…
The aviation industry accounts for 8% of the energy consumed by transportation. Air transport has high energy consumption levels directly linked to the high travelling speeds. Fuel is the second most important cost for the air transport industry accounting for 13-20% of total expenses. This accounts for about 1.2 million barrels per day. Technological innovations, such as more efficient engines and better aerodynamics, have led to a continuous improvement of the energy efficiency of each new generation of aircrafts. • Road transport Road transport accounts for the great majority of energy consumption. Road transportation alone is consuming on average 85% of the total energy used by the transport sector in developed countries. This trend is not however uniform within the land transportation sector itself, as road transportation is almost the sole mode responsible for additional energy demands over the last 25 years. Despite a falling market share, rail transport, on the basis of 1 kg of oil equivalent, remains four times more efficient for passenger and twice as efficient for freight movement as road transport. Rail transport accounts for 6% of global transport energy…show more content…
The private car is the dominant mode but has a poor energetic performance, although this performance has seen substantial improvements since the 1970s, mainly due to growing energy prices and regulations. Only 12% of the fuel used by a car actually provides momentum. There is a close relationship between rising income, automobile ownership and distance traveled by vehicle. The United States has one of the highest levels of car ownership in the world with one car for every two people. About 60% of all American households owned two or more cars, with 19% owning three or more. Another trend has been the increasing rise in ownership of minivans, sport utility vehicles and light-duty trucks for personal use and the corresponding decline in fuel economy. Fuel consumption is however impacted by diminishing returns, implying that higher levels of fuel efficiency involve declining marginal gains in fuel consumption. Also, the growth of vehicles-miles travelled is correlated with changes in energy prices and is entering a phase of maturity in several developed

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