FBO fuel sales in 2024 remained steady but showed minimal growth, according to the Aviation Business Strategies Group’s (ABSG) annual survey, released ahead of the NBAA’s Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference in New Orleans
ABSG’s survey indicated that nearly 60% of reporting FBOs experienced either a decrease or no change in fuel sales compared to 2023. However, fewer FBOs reported a decrease (36%) compared to the previous year, while 22% reported the same fuel sales, marking the highest level of unchanged sales in the survey’s 10-year history.
The survey noted several factors contributing to the stagnant fuel sales including more fuel-efficient aircraft filling up at home bases, stagnated base customer growth due to rising aircraft ownership costs and limited hangar space, reduced aircraft traffic (particularly Part 91 operators) and challenges in attracting fractional aircraft customers.
Additionally, ABSG asked participants to identify their top five industry concerns, which included regulatory and staffing challenges, the rising cost of airport improvements and tenants’ reluctance to pay higher rents necessary to ensure a return on investment for those improvements.
