Jet-A Fuel at $8.63/Gallon in April 2026

You looked at the fuel invoice and read it twice. Then, maybe, a third time.

The numbers were right. Jet-A averaged $8.63 per gallon across the United States in April 2026 — up $1.77 from March, according to a survey of more than 200 fixed-base operators (FBOs) by the Aviation Research Group U.S. That’s a 25% increase in a single calendar month. Compared to where prices sat twelve months ago, buyers are paying $2.03 more per gallon.

For an operator fueling a mid-size fleet, that’s not a line-item adjustment. It’s a financial event.

And the regional picture is messier than the national average suggests.

What the April numbers actually show

The Southern and Western regions hit $9.37 per gallon — the most expensive in the country. The Central region came in at $7.18/gallon, the cheapest, though even there prices climbed $1.20 from the month prior. The Great Lakes region had the sharpest single-month spike: up $2.23/gallon from March — a number that would have been remarkable in any normal year.

Source: Aviation Research Group U.S. — Survey of 200+ FBOs, April 2026

These aren’t gradual trends. They’re shocks. And shocks of this size in aviation fuel — where margins are already thin and pass-through pricing has limits — don’t get absorbed quietly.

The question buyers are asking right now is a simple one: is this temporary, or is the floor moving?

To answer that, you have to understand what’s actually driving the spike. It’s not one thing.

The Hormuz factor: why a strait you’ve never flown over is raising your fuel bill

Here’s the part that doesn’t make it onto invoices.

Roughly 20% of the world’s oil — and a significant portion of refined petroleum products — transits the Strait of Hormuz. Since Iran effectively closed it in early March 2026, crude oil exports from the west side of the strait collapsed by 76% between February and March, according to Kpler data. That’s a drop from 22.2 million barrels per day down to 5.28 million. Refinery run cuts in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman added another approximately 3 million barrels per day in product supply losses on top of that.

Jet fuel — both Jet-A and Jet A-1 — is a middle-distillate product. It competes with diesel and heating oil for the same refinery throughput. When crude supply tightens and output gets rationed, jet fuel doesn’t always win the queue. Refiners shift toward higher-margin products when margins diverge.

That’s part of what’s behind the April spike.

The refinery production that feeds jet fuel markets in Asia and the Middle East isn’t back online. India’s clean product exports are down roughly 30%. East Asian product exports have fallen around 1 million barrels per day month-on-month. Jet fuel prices reflect that reality. They always lag crude by a few weeks, and they recover even slower.

What aviation fuel buyers are getting wrong right now

There’s a pattern in how procurement teams are responding to the April numbers — and it’s going to be expensive for some of them.

The mistake is treating this as a pure crude-oil story and waiting for Brent to fall before locking in supply terms. That logic worked in calmer markets. It’s breaking down right now for two reasons.

First, jet fuel crack spreads — the margin refiners earn from converting crude to jet fuel — have widened significantly during the crisis. When crude prices eventually drop, crack spreads don’t always compress on the same schedule. Product prices can stay elevated even after crude starts retreating, especially when refinery output is still constrained.

Second, the sanctions picture is shifting in ways most procurement desks aren’t fully tracking. The US Treasury’s general license allowing the sale of Iranian oil expires April 19. The Russian oil waiver already lapsed April 11. Whether those waivers get renewed, modified, or allowed to expire will directly affect crude availability in the second half of April. It’s a supply variable that has nothing to do with the ceasefire timeline.

“You can’t just flick a switch and expect supply chains to normalize,” Martin Houston said. The ceasefire and any Hormuz reopening are “just the first step.” For jet fuel buyers, that step doesn’t show up at the pump for months.

The Jet A-1 difference: why international buyers face a separate exposure

What is Jet A-1 fuel? Jet A-1 is a kerosene-based turbine fuel meeting international aviation specification. Its defining operational difference from US domestic Jet-A is a lower freeze point: −47°C versus −40°C. That lower freeze point makes Jet A-1 the required standard for most international commercial aviation routes.

Airlines operating long-haul routes, cargo carriers, and charter operators serving Middle Eastern, Asian, and European destinations buy Jet A-1 — not Jet-A.

That distinction matters right now because the supply disruptions hitting Jet A-1 are worse than what’s visible in US domestic Jet-A prices.

Middle Eastern Jet A-1 supply — which has long been a low-cost source for Asian and European carriers — has been severely disrupted by the Hormuz closure. Refineries in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE that normally supply Jet A-1 to Asian and European carriers are operating at reduced capacity or rerouting production. Benchmarks in Singapore, Rotterdam, and the ARA region have moved sharply.

For companies sourcing aviation fuel through Gulf-based intermediaries — Dubai wholesale brokers, regional trading desks, or direct refinery agreements — the pricing assumptions written into Q1 contracts no longer reflect Q2 reality.

The buyers who locked in longer-term supply agreements before the conflict escalated are in a meaningfully better position than those buying on spot. That gap is wider right now than it’s been since 2022.

The recovery timeline: what to plan around

As of mid-April 2026, the supply-side picture looks like this.

Vessel traffic through the Strait has been limited but not zero since the ceasefire. Iran is still requiring vessels to seek permission — a condition ADNOC describes publicly as coercion, not free navigation. As long as that regime continues, tanker operators and their insurers are pricing in the restriction.

The EIA’s April 2026 short-term energy outlook has Brent staying above $95 per barrel for the next two months before falling below $80 in Q3 2026. Goldman Sachs has its 2026 Brent average at $85 — revised upward from $77 — and warns that Q4 prices could be around $71/bbl under the base case.

For Jet A-1, the product-specific recovery curve runs even longer than crude:

Sources: EIA STEO April 2026, Goldman Sachs, Kpler

That table has a direct implication for procurement decisions made right now: prices aren’t coming down next week. Buyers locking in supply today may be doing it at elevated levels — but those who wait for a correction that doesn’t arrive for three months will have paid spot prices throughout.

Procurement strategy for aviation fuel in Q2 2026

If you’re buying aviation fuel in volume — Jet A-1 for commercial operations, charter, cargo, or military aviation — here’s what’s worth thinking through.

On spot versus term: the spot market right now reflects panic pricing layered on top of genuine supply constraint. Southern and Western US buyers are paying $9.37/gallon. For operators with flexibility, the case for locking in term contracts has rarely been clearer.

On supplier qualification: not all bulk fuel suppliers are operating with the same reliability in a disrupted market. Supply chain stress hits hardest at smaller operators that lack direct access to refinery output or secured shipping. Ask for chain-of-custody documentation, carrier relationships on file, and compliance credentials before you commit.

On regional sourcing: the Great Lakes region absorbed the sharpest single-month jump at +$2.23/gallon. Buyers there should be asking whether sourcing from the Central region ($7.18/gallon) is logistically viable. A $1–2/gallon spread across large volumes justifies serious analysis of route flexibility.

On forward inventory: if you have the infrastructure, April’s pricing environment makes a strong case for carrying 30–60 days of buffer stock. Clean product prices can move faster than procurement cycles. Buying forward at today’s prices may be cheaper than buying at spot in May or June.

Diesel, LPG, and the wider picture

Jet fuel doesn’t exist in isolation. The same middle-distillate refinery throughput that produces Jet A-1 also produces EN590 diesel and heating oil. When Gulf and Asian refineries cut runs, the shortage isn’t jet-fuel-specific — it flows through to bulk diesel fuel buyers and LPG markets at the same time.

US diesel futures surpassed $3 per gallon earlier this year for the first time since November 2023, driven by the same Hormuz dynamics. For fleet operators and industrial buyers managing a mixed fuel portfolio across Jet A-1, EN590, and LPG, this is one unified supply story — not three separate ones.

For companies with diversified fuel supply and trading needs, treating each product category in isolation means missing the common constraint driving all of them. Whether you centralize procurement through a single counterparty or spread risk across multiple qualified suppliers depends on your scale and exposure. But the decision should start from the supply-side picture, not the procurement structure you inherited.

Frequently asked questions

What is the current price of Jet-A fuel in April 2026?

Jet-A fuel averaged $8.63 per gallon in April 2026 across more than 200 surveyed FBOs in the United States, according to the Aviation Research Group U.S. The Southern and Western regions are the most expensive at $9.37/gallon. The Central region is the least expensive at $7.18/gallon. Prices are up $1.77 from March and $2.03 year-over-year.

Why did Jet-A fuel prices spike so sharply in April 2026?

The primary driver is the Strait of Hormuz closure, which reduced Middle East crude oil and refined product exports by approximately 76% in March 2026. Jet fuel is a middle-distillate product that competes with diesel for refinery throughput. The US-Iran ceasefire announced April 7 has not yet restored normal supply flows — tanker access remains limited and conditional.

What is the difference between Jet-A and Jet A-1 fuel?

Jet-A is the primary aviation fuel standard used in the United States. Jet A-1 meets international specifications and has a lower freeze point (−47°C vs. −40°C for Jet-A), making it the required fuel for most international commercial aviation routes. Both are kerosene-based turbine fuels.

How long will Jet A-1 fuel prices remain elevated?

Based on EIA projections and current supply chain analysis, Jet A-1 regional prices are unlikely to fully normalize before Q3 2026 at earliest. Middle East refinery output — a key source of globally traded Jet A-1 — is expected to take 3–6 months to restore to pre-conflict levels, assuming the ceasefire holds.

Should aviation fuel buyers lock in term contracts now or wait for prices to drop?

Given crack spread dynamics and the uncertain sanctions timeline (Iranian waiver expires April 19), waiting for crude prices to fall before locking in aviation fuel supply carries significant risk. Product prices can remain elevated even as crude retreats when refinery output is still constrained. Most analysts do not expect meaningful Jet A-1 price relief before Q3 2026.

Where can I source Jet A-1 fuel in bulk?

Petrolodex is a Dubai-based fuel supply and trading platform that connects verified buyers with qualified bulk fuel suppliers for Jet A-1, EN590 diesel, MGO, LPG, and crude oil. Supply chain access covers the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, with documented compliance credentials. Contact us at petrolodex.com.

Work with a qualified fuel supplier

Aviation fuel procurement in April 2026 is not a situation where you want to be working from last month’s assumptions.

Petrolodex connects buyers with qualified bulk fuel suppliers for Jet A-1, EN590 diesel, MGO, LPG, and crude oil. We operate as a Dubai-based wholesale fuel broker with supply chain access across the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.

If you’re reviewing your Q2 aviation fuel strategy — or need to qualify a new supply source before the April 19 sanctions deadline — contact us.

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