Aviation fuel climbs again in August, Middle East tensions remain unresolved

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the situation in the Middle East continued to put pressure on aviation fuel through August.Political and economic stalemates remain the common thread halting commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, cementing an elevated new normal rather than a return to pre-crisis conditions. Per the GlobalAir.com Airport Resource Center and its FBO contacts, several smaller airport businesses have halted or reduced fuel sales with some pursuing consolidation. While each FBO experiences a unique set of limits and hurdles, the influx of these instances over the past several months has been concerning to say the least.Iranian-Omani negotiations for strait management and revenue sharing have continued to evolve toward a temporary commercial shipping route, with inbound traffic passing through Iranian waters and outbound through both Iranian and Omani territory. However, the U.S. has not accepted this framework, insisting instead the strait return to its pre-war, unrestricted status rather than operate under Iranian-Omani administration. Despite continued talks between Iran and Oman, the U.S. has not wavered on its military presence in the area. No one country appears ready to concede leverage. Adding to that, the Houthi blockade of Saudi Red Sea shipping has not relented. Diversions evolved into real damage in August. Per Kpler data, Saudi Arabia was routing roughly 64% of its Hormuz-bound oil across the Red Sea as of June. However, Kpler figures now show Saudi exports through Bab al-Mandeb were down over 90% by August. Both of this region's major trade bottlenecks are now under pressure at once.Meanwhile, Brent crude saw a volatile August. Per U.S. EIA spot prices, Brent began the month at $88.90 per barrel, peaked at $96.92 on August 21, then dipped back toward $88 by the end. Unfortunately, there were no miracles in retail fuel - the national averages of Jet A, 100LL and SAF were all higher for August compared to July.100LL Avgas: up and down, but mostly upThe August national average for 100LL climbed to $7.51, six cents higher than July and marking the fourth consecutive month above $7.00 in 2026. 100LL is up in every FAA region but the Southwest, where prices dropped by eight cents.The Alaskan FAA region, where avgas is critical for transportation, saw the sharpest rise - up 80 cents per gallon since May 2026. The Central region, which was incredibly stable through 2025, saw the second-largest jump since May at 45 cents. If crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz immediately affects Jet A, why is 100LL sustaining high rates in tandem?100LL is not refined directly from crude oil the way Jet A is, but refinery overhead, distribution costs and competition with the broader gasoline market are the likelier channels pushing prices up. In addition, FBOs often distribute rate increases across fuel types - for example, if Jet A spikes sharply, some of that increase might get spread to 100LL, raising both moderately rather than one significantly.Jet A: climbing steadilyJet A's national average climbed 26 cents between July and August to $7.78. For the second month in a row, Jet A prices rose in every FAA region. If you're keeping score, this is the fifth consecutive month Jet A has been above $7.00 in 2026.Similar to last month's analysis, a regional spot comparison across all nine FAA regions - measured between July 31 and August 31 rather than the full month figure shown above - shows an average gain of 20 cents, with a standard deviation of 0.04. That is a slightly smaller increase than July's 27 cents, but with less regional variation from the overall trend in August.The East Coast is home to some of the busiest corporate and commercial traffic airports in the country, but it refines only a fraction of what it burns. Most of that jet supply comes from the Gulf Coast pipeline or by international ships as you go further north. Different regions are fighting different supply chain battles. Know where your fuel is refined and watch those trends to anticipate what's coming.Sustainable Aviation Fuel: still a work in progressThe largest leap belongs to SAF, with the August national average showing $10.00. That is a 43-cent increase from July's average, $9.57.In July, the Clean Air Task Force published a study finding that targeting SAF at a smaller number of high-volume airports could have meaningful climate and health benefits via a data model analysis of 2024 flight activity at major airports. This approach accounts for SAF limits while finding immediate opportunities for substantial impact.The North American SAF Conference andamp; Expo took place at the end of August in Tacoma, WA, providing state-of-the-industry updates and projections for future development. The Cascadia Sustainable Aviation Institute was highlighted at the show, a novel facility under construction at Paine Field (KPAE) that aims to consolidate the full ASTM D4054 fuel certification process into one building.Until production, distribution, regulation and demand align, finding points for optimization early might be the best shot at advancing SAF.The Big PictureThe aviation fuel market remains volatile. Despite negotiations in the Middle East, true resolution still seems unclear.Most involved with the fuel market are left to monitor political discussions and oil movements, hoping the stars align for a less-painful purchase when it's time to resupply. Wholesale jet prices eased by the end of August, and if patterns hold, may signal relief in early September (knock on wood!)That said, each day provides a new opportunity for something else to hit the fan. I'll wake you up when September ends.Top Performing AirportsSummer weather means pilots are out building hours, flying passengers and enjoying the view. Join us in celebrating August's top three most viewed airports on the GlobalAir.com Airport Resource Center, then plan a visit to see what the hype is about.GlobalAir.com's top three most visited airport pages in the past 30 days were:Geary A Bates/Jefferson County Airpark (K2G2) in Wintersville, OHSouth Bend International Airport (KSBN) in South Bend, INWayne Executive Jetport (KGWW) in Goldsboro, NCTop Performing FBOsThis August, three FBOs stood out on GlobalAir.com by simply being popular with pilots. A special shoutout to the fourth most viewed FBO this month, Houston Southwest Airport at KAXH, for just barely missing third place.GlobalAir.com's top three most visited FBO pages in the past 30 days were:Odyssey Aviation @ MYNNMillion Air @ MWHJet Aviation @ DJTCongratulations to our top airports and FBOs, and safe fueling everyone!GlobalAir.com's Airport Resource Center and fuel data analyses are based on the prices of over 3,200 Fixed Base Operators (FBOs), reported directly by the FBO to GlobalAir.com. We do not accept fuel price updates from third parties. We hide/exclude FBOs that do not provide a price update or verification at least every 30 days to maintain pilot trust and database accuracy.As a result, GlobalAir.com offers accurate and up-to-date aviation fuel information. You can review live average fuel prices by FAA region by clicking here. Join us next month for another fuel data analysis plus the airports and FBOs with the highest performance on GlobalAir.com's Airport Resource Center. Learn more about GlobalAir.com's aviation fuel data by contacting Abigail Sheets at [email protected], or contribute to the discussion by leaving a comment on this article.