Overview of historical and future trends of commercial aircraft fuel efficiency

Abstract

The common factor for all airlines in reducing aircraft operating costs is improving fuel economy. Many international organizations such as EASA, ICAO or ICCT as well as aircraft operators put strong emphasis on improving aircraft fuel efficiency not only for economical but also for ecological reasons. It can be noticed that biggest improvements are achieved through implementation of new aircraft models and engines. Fuel consumption goals have been set by ICAO to achieve an annual improvement of 2% from year 2020 to 2050, however according to some experts this goal is probably is not going to be met as industry is lagging approximately 12 years behind this plan due to technological and economic reasons.