US airlines’ March 2023 fuel costs down were 9.6% month-on-month, according to the government's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).
The drop came as aviation fuel consumption exceeded that of March 2019 by 1.3%, according to the BTS, which collates data reported to it by aviation and other industries.
During March 2023, carriers burned over 1.5bn gallons of jet fuel, 18.2% more than the month before, spending $4.5bn in the process, 45% more than in 2019.
"Increased fuel consumption reflects an increase in airline passenger travel over the same period," the BTS said.
Rising oil prices and general inflation since 2019, both traceable to first the market disruptions caused by the Covid pandemic lockdowns and later the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have caused the price of jet fuel to climb.