Aircraft fuels
What the aircraft on the U.S. register burn, where it is sold and who makes it. Every engine series on the register maps to a fuel, so the counts below are the aircraft themselves; the airports are those whose FAA record, a news report or a seller's own website names the fuel; the approvals are the FAA's supplemental type certificates for the unleaded gasolines; the plants are SAFxCHANGE's record. The avgas pages carry the change now under way: the end of leaded 100LL and the three unleaded fuels replacing it.
Aviation gasoline
| Fuel | Specification | Status | Aircraft burning it | Airports selling it | Approvals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100LL avgas | ASTM D910 | in use | 217,195 | 3,182 | — |
| 100/130 avgas | ASTM D910 | historic | — | 73 | — |
| 80/87 avgas | ASTM D910 | historic | — | — | — |
| UL91 unleaded avgas | ASTM D7547 | in use | 16,606 also approved | 5 | 1 STC |
| UL94 unleaded avgas | ASTM D7547 | in use | 16,606 also approved | 37 | 2 STCs |
| 100R unleaded avgas | ASTM D8603 | in use | — | — | 1 STC |
| G100UL unleaded avgas | FAA-approved under STC (no ASTM specification) | in use at a few airports | — | 2 | 6 STCs |
| UL100E unleaded avgas | ASTM D910 (in evaluation) | in test | — | — | — |
| Car gasoline (mogas) | ASTM D4814 (automotive) | in use | 16,606 also approved | 89 | 250 STCs |
Jet fuel
| Fuel | Specification | Status | Aircraft burning it | Airports selling it | Approvals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jet A | ASTM D1655 | in use | 41,895 | 2,094 | — |
| Jet A-1 | ASTM D1655; DEF STAN 91-091 | in use | — | 280 | — |
| Military jet fuel (JP-4, JP-5, JP-8) | MIL-DTL-83133 (JP-8); MIL-DTL-5624 (JP-5) | in use at military fields | — | 6 | — |
Sustainable aviation fuel
| Fuel | Specification | Status | Aircraft burning it | Airports selling it | Plants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) | ASTM D7566 (blended into D1655 Jet A) | in use | — | 49 | 511 |
| HEFA (hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids) | ASTM D7566 Annex A2 | in use | — | — | 120 |
| Fischer-Tropsch (FT-SPK) | ASTM D7566 Annex A1 | in use | — | — | 30 |
| Alcohol-to-jet (ATJ-SPK) | ASTM D7566 Annex A5 | in use | — | — | 76 |
| Synthesised iso-paraffins (SIP) | ASTM D7566 Annex A3 | approved; little made | — | — | — |
| Catalytic hydrothermolysis (CHJ) | ASTM D7566 Annex A6 | approved; little made | — | — | — |
| HC-HEFA (from algae oils) | ASTM D7566 Annex A7 | approved; little made | — | — | — |
| Co-processing in a refinery | ASTM D1655 Annex A1 | in use | — | — | 28 |
| Power-to-liquid (e-SAF) | ASTM D7566 (via Annex A1 Fischer-Tropsch) | in use at small scale | — | — | 121 |
Electricity
| Fuel | Specification | Status | Aircraft burning it | Airports selling it | Approvals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | — | in use | 4,253 | — | — |
Hydrogen
| Fuel | Specification | Status | Aircraft burning it | Airports selling it | Approvals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen | — | in test | — | — | — |
How the counts are made
The FAA records an engine code for most aircraft and a type for each engine: piston, turboprop, turboshaft, turbojet, turbofan, electric. A piston engine burns aviation gasoline, a turbine burns jet fuel, and an electric motor charges from the grid; the diesel piston engines fitted to some light aircraft burn jet fuel, and the Rotax and converted car engines are approved by their makers for car gasoline and the unleaded grades as well as 100LL. The "aircraft burning it" column counts the aircraft whose engine's usual fuel it is; "also approved" counts those whose maker approves it as an alternative.
An unleaded gasoline needs an FAA approval for each engine and airframe before it may be used: a supplemental type certificate held by the fuel's maker, which the owner buys once. The approvals column counts those certificates; each fuel's page lists the model families and engine series they name.
Airports are counted when the FAA's airport file records the fuel as sold there (the airport manager reports it), when a news report in the SAFxCHANGE record names the airport, or when a seller's own website names the fuel. The three sources are marked on each airport's page.
Sources: FAA Civil Aviation Registry, November 2, 2026; the FAA airport master file; the FAA's supplemental type certificate listings; SAFxCHANGE's plants, deals and airports; the fuel makers' own statements of where their fuel is sold. Specifications as published by ASTM International.