US airline fuel costs surged 78% to nearly $6.5 billion in April as Middle East tensions drove fuel prices higher, according to USDOT data.

US airline fuel costs surged 78% to nearly $6.5 billion in April as Middle East tensions drove fuel prices higher, according to USDOT data.

New government data released Monday shows U.S. airlines spent nearly $6.5 billion on jet fuel in April

The figure is double what airlines paid in February, nearly a month before the war with Iran.