Wednesday, June 19, 2024 China’s aviation industry recently demonstrated remarkable resilience, outperforming other key global economies in strength. However, according to environmental intelligence firm Kayrros, this robustness may be waning due to what appears to be primarily built-up demand. Kayrros, employing AI to analyze satellite images and transponder data from aircraft for climate insights, found that China was among the rare major economies to exceed pre-pandemic jet fuel consumption levels in the first quarter, reaching a peak in February during the Chinese New Year celebrations.
This contrasted with the continued shortfall against 2019 levels in most other significant economies. The Kayrros Jet Fuel Demand Tracker, which assesses global aviation activity daily through ADS-B signal analysis, noted that China’s jet fuel consumption in early 2024 hit 800,000 barrels per day for the first time, with February averages soaring to nearly 875,000 barrels — a record high. Meanwhile, the U.
S., the largest aviation fuel market globally, has not yet returned to its pre-pandemic jet fuel use, partially due to significant advancements in fuel efficiency achieved post-pandemic. Similarly, Europe’s demand remains below its 2019 peaks.
While China leads in the electrification of vehicles and reducing gasoline demand, it trails behind in enhancing aviation fuel efficiency compared to the U.S. and Europe.
The spike in China’s air travel in Q1 is typically seasonal, linked .
