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Fuel efficiency is the most important, if not the latest, buzzword in aviation. Fuel remains one of the leading operating cost heads for an airline, and thus controlling fuel costs can lead to significant bottom line improvements.

This is the age of fuel efficient aircraft. The 787s and A350s of the world are setting benchmarks in terms of being less fuel dependent while not compromising on the flight experience.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner Wing Flex
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the airline cost accountant's favorite
Credits: Tomás Del Coro

But how exactly does the fuel consumption figures of the 787 compare to a 777? Or an A380? The below table provides the numbers for you!

Note: The below numbers are indicative. Fuel consumption numbers depend upon a lot of factors including flight takeoff weight, flight time, cruising altitude and the like. Read the numbers as ballpark figures.

Manufacturer

Aircraft

Fuel Consumption (kilogram/hour)

Boeing 707-320 6800-7200
Boeing 707-420 6400
Boeing 707-320B 5500
Boeing 707-120B 4800-5000
Boeing 717-200 2200
Boeing 727-100 4140
Boeing 727-200 4500
Boeing 737-100 2500
Boeing 737-200 2800
Boeing 737-300 2400
Boeing 737-400 2600
Boeing 737-500 2400
Boeing 737-700 2420
Boeing 737-800 2530
Boeing 747-100 11800
Boeing 747-300 11300
Boeing 747-400 10230
Boeing 747-8 9600
Boeing 757-200 3320
Boeing 777-200 6080
Boeing 777-200ER 6630
Boeing 777-200LR 6800
Boeing 777-300ER 7500
Boeing 767-200 4500
Boeing 767-300 4800
Boeing 767-300ER 4940
Boeing 787-8 4900
Boeing 787-9 5600
Airbus A300 4770
Airbus A319-100 2374
Airbus A320 2430
Airbus A321-100 2885
Airbus A321-231 2740
Airbus A330-200 5590
Airbus A330-300 5700
Airbus A340-300 6500
Airbus A340-500 8000
Airbus A350-900 5800
Airbus A380 11000-12000
Аn-225 15900
Аn-124 12600
Bombardier Dash 8 900
ATR 42 450
ATR 72 620

As we see, an Airbus A380 burns twice as much fuel per hour as a Boeing 787-9. A head-to-head comparison between the two aircraft can give airlines millions of dollars in savings just by choosing a 787-9 over the A380 (though an A380 has almost double the number of seats compared to the 787).

Want to learn how to identify these aircraft in less than 5 seconds? Head over to our AIKA Birdspot series here.

Cover credits: Instagram user: contrailsphotography

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