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Sep 26, 2026
Australia has 16,636 aircraft on its civil register, more than half of them over 37 years old, and recent airline collapses show how quickly thin margins become losses. The Freight Metrics Aircraft Operating Cost Calculator helps owners and operators see the full cost of flying before they quote a charter, buy an aircraft or take on a contract.
The calculator covers 97 aircraft types, from a Cessna 172 to a Boeing 787 and Airbus A380. It starts with built-in fuel burn, aircraft values, crew, maintenance and tyre costs, which users replace with their own figures. It reports cost per hour, per day, per passenger and per nautical mile, plus the rate needed to reach a target margin.
This paper explains how the calculator works, its main functions and what users should consider. It also sets out industry context from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) and the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), with a United States comparison from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Every figure is sourced; where official data does not exist in the form commonly quoted, the paper says so.
CASA recorded 16,636 aircraft on the Australian Civil Aircraft Register at 30 June 2026. Of the aircraft on the register, more than 50% are over 37 years old and 18% are over 56 years old. BITRE activity data indicates that 15,051 aircraft are actively flown, about 10% fewer than are registered (CASA, PP 2616CS, July 2026).
The active fleet is dominated by light aircraft.
Category | Maximum take-off weight | Active aircraft |
Fixed wing | Under 8,618 kg | 10,076 |
Helicopters | Under 3,175 kg | 2,236 |
Gliders | Under 8,618 kg | 1,250 |
Balloons | Under 8,618 kg | 453 |
Fixed wing | 8,618 kg to 54,500 kg | 394 |
Fixed wing | Over 54,500 kg | 373 |
Helicopters | 3,175 kg to 5,700 kg | 144 |
Helicopters | Over 5,700 kg | 113 |
Remotely piloted (powered lift) | Over 150 kg | 11 |
Airship | Under 8,618 kg | 1 |
Total |
| 15,051 |
Source: CASA PP 2616CS, Table 8, based on BITRE volumes.
CASA publishes only the current register and refers requests for historic entries to its aircraft registrar, so a verified 15-year comparison of registered aircraft is not publicly available (CASA, Data files for registered aircraft). From July 2027, all VH-registered aircraft will move to annual registration, which CASA expects to improve the accuracy of fleet data.
The ABS does not publish a single figure for the number of aviation businesses that have closed over the past 15 years. Its Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits reports exits year by year, with industry detail (including air and space transport) in downloadable data cubes.
What the ABS headline data does show (release of 18 August 2026):
High-profile failures show the pressure on airline economics. Low-cost carrier Bonza stopped flying in April 2024, about 15 months after launch. Regional Express (Rex) entered voluntary administration on 30 July 2024, grounding its Boeing 737 fleet and cancelling flights between major cities (CAPA). Across all industries, ASIC recorded 14,722 companies entering external administration for the first time in 2024–25, up 33.2% on the prior year.
The United States had an estimated 213,756 active general aviation aircraft in 2024, roughly 14 times the 15,051 aircraft actively flown in Australia (the two counts are defined differently), and the same cost pressures apply. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) defines an active aircraft as one that flies at least one hour in the year (FAA Aerospace Forecast FY2026–2046).
US active general aviation fleet | 2016 | 2024 | Change |
Fixed-wing piston | 142,638 | 138,960 | −2.6% |
Fixed-wing turbine | 23,530 | 28,759 | +22.2% |
Rotorcraft | 10,577 | 10,573 | 0.0% |
Light-sport aircraft | 2,478 | 3,088 | +24.6% |
Experimental and other | 32,571 | 32,377 | −0.6% |
Total | 211,794 | 213,756 | +0.9% |
Source: FAA Aerospace Forecast FY2026–2046, active general aviation aircraft chart. Change percentages are calculated from these figures; totals may differ by one aircraft due to rounding in the source.
Key points from the FAA forecast:
US airline failures mirror Australia’s. Spirit Airlines filed for Chapter 11 in November 2024, emerged in March 2025, and filed a second Chapter 11 case on 29 August 2025. Regional carriers Silver Airways and Seaborne Airlines filed for Chapter 11 at the end of 2024 and were later converted to Chapter 7 liquidation (Holland & Knight, 2025 Aviation Bankruptcy Update; Epiq, Spirit case 25-11897).
This paper does not include a verified count of US aviation business closures over 15 years.
The common thread is cost. An operator who does not know its cost per flight hour cannot tell whether a charter rate or route covers it.
The Aircraft Operating Cost Calculator is an online tool that estimates what it costs to own and fly an aircraft, from a light single-engine trainer to a wide-body airliner. It sits within the Freight Metrics aviation suite alongside a Helicopter Operating Cost Calculator, an Aircraft Finance Calculator and a live aircraft tracking map (Freight Metrics, Aviation calculators).
It is built for charter and air-freight operators, flying schools, private owners, prospective buyers, and the accountants and financiers who advise them. Its purpose: know the true cost per flight hour before quoting a charter.
Access works in two tiers:
The user selects one of 97 aircraft types, and the calculator loads starting values for fuel burn, aircraft value, crew, maintenance and tyre costs. The user then replaces any of these with their own fuel, aircraft, finance, crew, maintenance and operating figures. The calculator combines them into a total annual cost and spreads it across flight hours, days, flights and passengers.
As with any vehicle, costs fall into two families.
Cost type | Behaviour | Examples |
Fixed (standing) costs | Incurred whether or not the aircraft flies | Finance repayments, depreciation, insurance, hangarage, fixed crew salaries |
Variable (direct operating) costs | Rise with every hour flown | Fuel, maintenance and engine reserves, tyres, landing and navigation charges |
Once annual totals are known, the unit cost follows. The underlying arithmetic, shown here for cost per flight hour, is:
\text{Cost per flight hour} = \frac{\text{Annual fixed costs} + \text{Annual variable costs}}{\text{Annual flight hours}}
Dividing the same total by days, flights, passengers carried or nautical miles flown gives the other unit costs. Utilisation matters greatly: fixed costs spread over fewer flight hours push up the cost of every hour.
The calculator reports estimated costs per year, month, hour and flight, together with cost per passenger and per nautical mile. It also shows the charge rate needed to reach a target margin (Freight Metrics home page; Trial page).
The calculator does six jobs that matter to an aviation business.
The Aircraft Finance Calculator in the same membership shows repayment amounts, total interest and total principal for any single payment period. A separate Helicopter Operating Cost Calculator covers rotary-wing operations.
Sources: Freight Metrics home page; Aviation calculators.
Built-in values are a starting point, not a quote. The result is only as good as the figures entered, so users get the most reliable answer by working through these points.
The calculator produces estimates, not financial, tax, legal or airworthiness advice. Freight Metrics’ disclaimer states use is at the user’s own risk, and users should confirm major decisions with their accountant, financier or maintenance provider.
Australia’s civil fleet is large, old and expensive to keep flying, and recent airline failures show how quickly costs can outrun revenue. In that environment, pricing a charter or buying an aircraft on instinct is a serious risk.
The Freight Metrics Aircraft Operating Cost Calculator turns built-in aircraft data and an operator’s own numbers into a clear cost per hour, per flight, per passenger and per nautical mile, plus the rate needed to make a margin. Used with accurate records and reviewed regularly, it gives owners and operators a defensible basis for every quote and decision.
Try the Aircraft Operating Cost Calculator.