Helicopter vs Airplane Fuel Efficiency: Which Really Costs Less to Fly?

“Helicopter or plane?” sounds like a simple fuel question, and it isn’t, because the two fly at different speeds. This guide puts our own helicopter fuel cost data next to the light jet comparison and measures all of them three ways: per hour, per mile and per seat. Fuel is one cost among several, so read it as a fuel comparison, not a full operating cost.

Which Burns Less Fuel per Hour?

Helicopters do, by a wide margin. The table uses the same burn rates as our helicopter guide, plus published speeds:

Sources: for the R66, Vertical measured 118 knots true airspeed and a burn of 20.5 gallons an hour in 2010 (the burn averaged over a 1.3-hour flight), while our guide uses 23 gallons an hour and a 110-knot cruise from Fair Lifts. The Bell 407’s 133 knots is from AOPA, and its low end of 120 from GlobalAir. The H130’s 128 knots is Airbus’s fast cruise speed. The Vision Jet’s figures come from a 2019 flight test of the G2: 70 gallons an hour at 314 knots at FL280, and 64 at 309 knots at FL310. The HondaJet’s come from AOPA’s pilot report on the Elite, at long-range and high-speed cruise. We cover that aircraft in more depth in our HondaJet Elite II fuel consumption guide.

Which Uses Less Fuel per Mile?

Dividing burn by speed gives gallons per nautical mile, the fairer comparison. The result is mixed:

The R66 matches the Vision Jet, at 0.17 to 0.21 gallons a mile against 0.21 to 0.22. The Bell 407 and H130 use roughly 1.4 to 2.0 and 1.6 to 1.9 times the Vision Jet’s fuel per mile. The HondaJet sits in between and swings with its power setting: 0.23 gallons a mile at long-range cruise, 0.36 at high-speed cruise. The point is that speed, not just burn, decides efficiency, which is why a single gallons-per-hour figure can’t settle the question.

Which Costs Less on a 100 Nautical Mile Trip?

At the IATA Jet Fuel Price Monitor’s latest global average of $187.34 a barrel, about $4.46 a gallon at refinery prices, a 100 nm cruise-only leg works out like this:

The R66 is cheapest on fuel, but it takes nearly three times as long as the Vision Jet for about the same money. The two larger helicopters cost more in fuel than either jet and are only slightly faster than the R66. These figures leave out climb, descent, taxi, airport transfers and, most of all, maintenance, insurance and crew. They compare fuel only.

What About Fuel per Seat?

With every seat filled, the Vision Jet is best. It carries up to six passengers plus the pilot, which works out to about 0.035 to 0.037 gallons per passenger mile. The R66 with four passengers uses 0.043 to 0.052, the H130 with seven uses 0.050 to 0.056, and the Bell 407 with six uses 0.050 to 0.069. Full loads and full fuel rarely coincide, so treat this as a best case.

How Far Can One Tank Take You?

Range changes the cost picture on longer trips. Airbus lists the H130’s range at 327 nm at fast cruise on a 143-gallon tank. The Vision Jet’s flight test put it at up to 1,200 nm with a light payload, and Honda lists the HondaJet Elite II at 1,547 nm with four occupants. A leg of 500 nm or more is one flight for a light jet and a fuel stop, or two, for a light helicopter. Each stop adds time and a second uplift.

When Does a Helicopter Still Make Sense?

When the fuel isn’t the point. A helicopter can lift from a rooftop or helipad and land near the destination, so it can save the time a jet spends getting to and from an airport. That advantage is hard to put a number on without a specific route, and it doesn’t show up in fuel burn. It’s why helicopters stay popular for short hops, sightseeing and offshore support, even when a jet wins on gallons per mile. Both types of turbine aircraft burn the same family of kerosene fuel, covered in our guide to whether helicopters use jet fuel.

How Do You Run the Numbers for Your Own Route?

1. Get your aircraft’s burn and speed from its flight manual or a recent flight, at the setting you actually fly.
2. Divide burn by speed to get gallons per nautical mile, then multiply by the leg length.
3. Price the fuel where you’ll buy it. Our aviation fuel supply team can quote Jet A-1 for a specific airport, and refinery averages are a floor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a helicopter more fuel efficient than an airplane?

Per hour, yes: the turbine helicopters here burn 20 to 50 gallons against 64 to 149 for the light jets. Per mile it depends on the model, with the R66 matching the Vision Jet and the larger helicopters using more.

How much fuel does a helicopter burn per hour?

About 20 to 23 gallons for a Robinson R66, 40 to 50 for a Bell 407 and 45 to 50 for an Airbus H130, according to the sources in our helicopter fuel cost guide.

Which is cheaper to fly, a helicopter or a private jet?

On fuel alone over 100 nm, the R66 was cheapest, about $77 to $93, and the Vision Jet about $92 to $99. Total cost also includes maintenance, insurance and crew, which this comparison doesn’t cover.

Why does a jet cover more distance on the same fuel?

Because it flies much faster. The Vision Jet cruises at about 310 knots against about 110 to 133 for the helicopters, so a higher burn rate still buys more miles.

Plan Your Fuel

For per-model hourly fuel costs, see our helicopter guide. For the jets’ speed, burn and range side by side, see our light jet comparison.

Helicopter Fuel Costs Jet Fuel Efficiency