Boeing 747-8's Shockingly Low Fuel Efficiency Revealed

The Boeing 747-8 is one of the most recognizable airliners in commercial aviation history. Its large size and four engines have sparked curiosity about its fuel efficiency. Calculating an aircraft's fuel efficiency is complex, but we can compare its range to its fuel capacity for a rough estimate.

For the passenger version of the 747-8 (the 747-8I), with a fuel capacity of 63,034 gallons and a range of 8,900 miles based on a load of 410 passengers, the estimated miles per gallon is 0.142. The Boeing Business Jets (BBJ) version has a slightly more favorable figure at 0.162 miles per gallon.

However, older Boeing 747 models had even poorer fuel consumption rates. For example, the original 747-100 could fly up to 5,320 miles on 48,445 gallons of fuel, resulting in just 0.11 miles per gallon.