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Photo = Wegovy |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] The rapid spread of obesity treatments such as Wegovy and Mounjaro is expected to reduce passengers’ average body weight, enabling U.S. airlines to save fuel costs amounting to several hundred million dollars this year, according to a new forecast.
According to Bloomberg and CNBC on January 17 (local time), an airline industry research report by a team led by Jefferies aviation and transportation analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu estimates that U.S. airlines could save up to $580 million (approximately KRW 850 billion) in fuel expenses this year due to the growing use of weight-loss drugs.
The report estimates that if the average passenger weight declines by 10%, an aircraft’s takeoff weight would fall by about 2% (1,450 kilograms) per plane. Improved fuel efficiency would in turn reduce fuel costs by up to 1.5% and increase airlines’ earnings per share by as much as 4%. The analysis is based on Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.
Jefferies said the trend could have a meaningful impact on fuel costs at major U.S. carriers, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines. These four airlines are expected to consume roughly 16 billion gallons of fuel this year. Assuming an average price of $2.41 per gallon, total fuel expenses would amount to about $39 billion (approximately KRW 58 trillion), accounting for roughly 19% of their overall operating costs.
In the airline industry, weight directly translates into cost. As lower weight improves fuel efficiency, airlines have long pursued various measures to reduce onboard weight, including lighter meals and the introduction of ultra-slim seats.
United Airlines, for example, replaced its in-flight magazine Hemispheres with lighter paper in 2018, cutting the weight by one ounce per copy. The change alone was estimated to save about 170,000 gallons of fuel annually, equivalent to approximately $290,000 in fuel cost savings at the time.
알파경제 Kim Jisun (stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
