Iran war spikes airline fuel costs

Airline fuel costs jump 78 percent in past year

As the war in Iran passes the 100-day mark, the cost for America’s airline industry is mounting.

On Friday, a report from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) stated that U.S. airlines paid nearly $6.5 billion in fuel costs in April. That was up more than 26 percent from March and up 78 percent from April 2025, the BTS noted.

The cost per gallon of jet fuel in April was $4.11, up 94 cents from March and an increase of $1.81 from a year prior. 

Energy costs have risen around the world since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran in late February, which the Iranian military responded to by restricting transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

The reopening of the waterway, through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil passes, is a key tenet of peace negotiations between the Trump administration and officials in Tehran. But those were set back again this weekend as Iran and Israel traded strikes for the first time in weeks.

Amid negotiations, transit through the strait has remained limited, with just 10 ships passing through in the last 24 hours, according to hormuzstraitmonitor.com. The site notes that 60 vessels go through the waterway daily under normal conditions. 

Increased jet fuel costs are making a significant dent in airlines’ margins. A Sunday report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA)........

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