Europe Aviation Fuel Card Market Forecast to 2030 - Regional Analysis - by Type (Merchant and Branded) and Application (Commercial and Private)

The Europe Aviation fuel card market was valued at US$ 516.07 million in 2022 and is expected to reach US$ 1.08 billion by 2030; it is estimated to register a CAGR of 9.8% from 2022 to 2030.

Growing Demand for the Cost Optimization Using Fuel Cards Boosts Europe Aviation Fuel Card Market

Fuel is considered one of the most expensive aspects of organizing a flight. Fuel price hikes have a significant impact on airlines. Aircraft use 3-3.5 liters of fuel per 100 passengers per kilometer. As a result, in the current market, fuel expenses account for 20-25% of overall costs and can occasionally surpass 30%. The fuel cost highly affects the overall profitability of the company positively or negatively depending on the overall fuel spends. The cost of gasoline per gallon in January 2023 was US$ 3.28, 4.3% more than in December 2022, which was US$ 3.14 and 71.7% higher than in January 2019. Total fuel expenditure in January 2023 reached US$ 4.63 billion, a 70.6% hike from pre-pandemic January 2019. Hence, aviation fuel consumption and volatility in prices are rapidly increasing. Thus, airlines across the globe concentrate on reducing their overall fuel consumption in order to achieve cost optimization.

Fuel card helps in fuel reduction practices such as flight planning, weight management, fleet maintenance, and eco-piloting, which include optimizing take-off and landing procedures, employing the best thrust and speed settings, and limiting the need for auxiliary power units are undertaken by airline companies Thus, identifying the need for a reduction in fuel consumption, many aviation fuel producers started offering aviation fuel card programs. Fuel cards make efficient fuel planning and routing achievable, assisting in the optimization of fleet operations. Fleet managers can find out the most fuel-efficient routes by examining fuel usage data; this reduces redundant deviations or delays. Fuel card data can aid in the scheduling of aircraft maintenance. Airlines always know when an aircraft is due for planned maintenance because they track efficiency, hours of use, and usage trends over time. Various merchant aviation fuel card providers and branded aviation fuel card providers offer lucrative programs to gain the attention of large and small airline operators. For instance, in 2021, Total Energies launched the tax-inclusive JET A-1 fuel card. For these cardholders, the company started providing special fuel rates program, under this program fuel producing company started providing the cardholders at the constant rate across the cardholder's country. Thus, the high requirement for fuel consumption reduction and the benefits offered by fuel cards, such as fuel consumption tracking, route optimization, and fixed fuel rates across the country, are driving the demand for aviation fuel cards.

Europe Aviation Fuel Card Market Overview

Developed nations such as Germany, and France are heavily developing sustainable aviation fuel, which is generating lucrative opportunities for the aviation fuel card market. In September 2023, DHL Group, Sasol Ltd., and HH2E AG collaborated to develop sustainable, hydrogen-based aviation fuels in Germany to help cut carbon emissions, with Airbus SE planning to join the project later. Considering the thin margins and benefits offered by aviation fuel cards, the adoption and usage of aviation fuel card is projected to increase during 2022-2030.

Germany, France, and the UK are estimated to acquire a major share of the Europe aviation fuel card market. One of the primary factors for the market growth is high fuel consumption in the UK, Germany, and France. Germany is a world leader in aviation and aerospace technology. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), the number of people arriving or departing German airports in 2022 was more than double that of 2021. The aviation fuel card market in France is mainly driven by the widely spread fuel card network by fuel-producing companies such as Total Energies and Air BP. Total Energies offers its services to private and commercial aviation sectors. Total Energies Jet A-1 aviation fuel card is currently active in approximately 100 airports in France. The UK aviation fuel card market is driven by a variety of factors, such as increased aviation fuel consumption, a rise in preference for sustainable fuel, and key players' activities. In August 2023, Avfuel added London Southend Jet Centre, the airport-owned and operated FBO at London Southend Airport (EGMC), to its European dealer network. Since 2019, the aviation industry in Russia has experienced negative growth in air travel. Reduced air traffic negatively impacted fuel consumption, ultimately affecting the aviation fuel card market. New issuance of aviation fuel cards since 2019 has decreased notably, owing to negative growth of the aviation industry and aviation market in Russia.

Europe Aviation Fuel Card Market Segmentation

The Europe aviation fuel card market is categorized into type, application, and country.

Based on type, the Europe aviation fuel card market is bifurcated into merchant and branded. The merchant segment held a larger Europe aviation fuel card market share in 2022.

In terms of application, the Europe aviation fuel card market is bifurcated into commercial and private. The commercial segment held a larger Europe aviation fuel card market share in 2022.

By country, the Europe aviation fuel card market is segmented into France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Russia, and the Rest of Europe. The UK dominated the Europe aviation fuel card market share in 2022.

Shell Plc, BP Plc, Associated Energy Group LLC, TITAN Aviation Fuels Inc, TotalEnergies SE, and Multi Service Corp are among the leading companies operating in the Europe aviation fuel card market.