As you sit here to see an airplane roar down the strip and take to the air with apparent ease, you are seeing the raw power of the aviation fuel it is burning. Back of that unsightly-looking liquid there is a highly advanced, highly refined product which has been created to offer safety, dependability, and power to some of the less hospitable areas of the world.
But what, in the outside world, is jet fuel actually made from? It begins deep underground in crude oil and arrives in jet airliners' fuel tanks at airports around the globe. Let us trace the incredible process step by step.
1. Why Aviation Fuel Is Special
Aviation fuel is not ordinary car petrol or diesel and must be of extremely strict specifications:
- It must work correctly at -50°C at 35,000 feet.
- It must be capable of withstanding storage for a long time.
- It must not evaporate readily or freeze readily.
- It must require quality anywhere on this earth at any point of time.
Aviation fuel is not energy but safety in the form of liquids. Due to this reason, it is processed with great care from crude to delivery point.
2. Types of Aviation Fuel
Assume before them becoming produced there are two major types of aviation fuel:
A. Jet Fuel (Turbine Engines)
- Used by business jets, military aircraft, and commercial airliners.
- Most common type: Jet A-1 (world standard).
- Jet A-1 freezing point is -47°C and flash point is above 38°C.
- In fact, good quality kerosene.
B. Aviation Gasoline (AvGas)
- Used by piston aircraft (most light general aviation aircraft).
- Same volume as car petrol but contains additives to prevent detonation at high altitude.
- Contains additives like lead (in AvGas 100LL) to enhance performance.
We will utilize Jet A-1 in this instance since it fuels the majority of the world's aircraft.
3. Step One: Drilling of Crude Oil
Everything that burns oil starts with crude oil, a mixture of unpurified hydrocarbons deep in the ground.
- It is drilled below the ground on land or off-shore sites.
- It is sent by pipelines, ships, or tankers to refineries.
The crude oil will vary depending on where it is produced (Middle East, North Sea, U.S. shale, etc.), but all contain aviation fuel components.
4. Step Two: Refining of the Crude Oil
Refining is where a blend of physical and chemical processes is used to distill marketable fuel from crude oil.
A. Fractional Distillation
- The crude oil is first heated to 400°C and then fed into a distillation tower.
- Other hydrocarbons boil at different temperatures and migrate to different levels in the column.
- Light gases (propane, butane) to the top.
- Petrol (gasoline) condenses higher.
- Jet Fuel (kerosene) condenses halfway.
- Diesel and lubricants at the bottom.
- Heavy residues (tar, bitumen) bottom.
This is the first separation stage that results in the kerosene cut, which is utilized as an introduction product for jet fuel.
B. Further Refining & Treatment
Raw kerosene is not suitable to fly. Secondary refining is needed:
- Hydrotreating – Bars sulfur, nitrogen, and oxygen impurities.
- Hydrocracking – Disassembles large molecules into smaller, cleaner-burning hydrocarbons.
- Isomerization – Improves cold-flow properties, so fuel won't plug at high altitude.
We need a fuel that is pure, stable, and consistent.
5. Quality Control and Testing
Refined aviation fuel is put through tough quality tests. The most important of them are:
- Flash Point Test – Does not permit fuel to burn too easily.
- Freezing Point Test – Does not freeze at flight altitudes.
- Thermal Stability Test – Does not permit the fuel to precipitate in the heat engine components.
- Density Check – Tests amount of energy per liter.
- Water Separation Test – Averts water contamination that will freeze and block fuel lines.
It is only after passing all these tests successfully that a batch becomes qualified as Jet A-1.
6. Aviation Fuel Additives
Aviation fuels have additives for enhanced performance and safety compared to automotive fuels:
- Anti-icing additives – Do not allow water in fuel to freeze.
- Static dissipater additives – Do not allow sparks on refueling.
- Corrosion inhibitors – Do not allow corrosion of fuel tanks and piping of aircraft.
- Lubricity improvers – Allows freely operating fuel pump parts.
Additives can be as little as 1% of the fuel but are essential to safety.
7. Distribution: Refinery to Aircraft
Once it's produced, aviation fuel is handled gently in an attempt to maintain quality.
1. Refinery Storage
- In clean, specialized storage tanks.
- Seperated from other fuels for contamination prevention purposes only.
2. Transportation
- Transported by pipeline, ships, or railway tankers to major airports.
- Special transport to avoid mixing with other products.
3. Airport Storage & Testing
- Tested for bulk tanks and kept at the airport.
- Filtered through direct filtration equipment to remove particles or water.
4. Into the Aircraft
- Refilled by refueller lorries or underground hydrant systems.
- Even during refilling, proper quality tests are upheld for security.
During fuel loading into an aircraft, it is tested repeatedly to make it pure.
8. Environmental Considerations and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
Aviation fuel during peace times consists of fossil fuels that are carbon-based sources. For the promotion of the same, over the years, there has been a transition towards Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
Manufacturing of SAF
- From renewable feedstocks: waste cooking oil, algae, municipal solid waste, vegetable oils.
- Chemically converted to yield hydrocarbons similar to kerosene.
- Meets Jet A-1 (50% and above) and is compatible with existing aircraft engines.
Benefits of SAF
- Reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by as much as 80%.
- of the same safety and performance standard as Jet A-1.
- Save airlines from being left behind reducing emissions everywhere on the planet.
Although SAF remains a very small percentage of aviation fuel globally, it is growing exponentially due to aviation's transition toward net-zero aviation by 2050.
9. Global Safety Rules and Requirements
As much as aviation fuel is needed, its manufacture and storage are governed by international authorities:
- ASTM International (ASTM D1655) – Publishes international Jet A and Jet A-1 specifications.
- Defence Standards (DEF STAN 91-91) – UK military and civilian specification.
- IATA Fuel Quality Pool (IFQP) – Everywhere in the world, quality is controlled.
Airports, airlines, and fuel suppliers everywhere in the world are required to adhere to these standards in a bid to offer global consistency.
10. Aviation Fuel Future
Future production of aviation fuel stands at the cusp of opening a new frontier:
- Hydrogen-fuelled fuel is today a viable zero-carbon air travel future.
- Electric-hybrid aircraft can make short-distance flights redundant when it comes to liquid fuel.
- Power-to-liquid fuels, produced by renewable energy and stored CO₂, may be the future of flying fuel.
That being said, nonetheless, in the next two or three decades, full kerosene-type fuels and SAF blends will form the backbone of aviation.
11. Summary: Jet Engine to Oil Well
Below are the steps that go into producing aviation fuel to summarize:
- The crude is pulled out of the ground.
- It is processed to separate the hydrocarbons.
- It is also processed by kerosene cut hydrotreating and hydrocracking.
- It is filtered, re-finished, and mixed with additives.
- It is tankered and pipelined to airfields throughout the world.
- It is re-tested before it is used to fuel an airplane for the last time.
Each gallon of fuel loaded onto an airplane wing has been treated and re-checked multiple times because in flight, safety is never ever optional.
12. Final Thought
Aviation fuel may look and even taste like perfect liquid, but behind it lies a wealth of science, technology, and worldwide logistics heritage. From wells to refinereries, from pipelines to jet tankers, the odyssey of aviation fuel is what makes every flight you ever take powered by something that is meant to be precise, secure, and reliable.
While the air itself turns green, aviation fuel's history is being re-written from crude oil to biofuels and more. Whatever the source, however, there is one thing for sure: aviation fuel is the unseen co-passenger making flying a reality in this new millenium.