Actually there are only three significant players that sell turbine engine oils to the commercial airlines: ExxonMobil, Eastman (was AirBP), and Shell. Historically ExxonMobil and Eastman have had about equal shares totaling over 90% of the demand. Shell takes up most of the rest. The field is limited by high barriers to entry, specifically the high cost of product development & qualification (10+ years and millions of dollars) and the high liability of the application. In spite of the few players, competition is surprisingly high and major airlines are fought over fiercely. Defense of market share seems to trump profit/gallon, perhaps because volume throughput for dedicated equipment greatly influences cost and ROI.
Total demand in the commercial airline segment is only around seven million gallons and growth is low. While the number of people flying and hence airplanes have been growing nicely, this growth is largely offset by fewer engines per plane, more oil efficient engines, and fuller flights. Global militaries add about another million gallons or so of demand, but these oils often require less of an approval process and so there are more qualified suppliers.
The color of jet turbine engine oils is due primarily to additives, especially the oligomerized amine anti-oxidants often used in 4th generation oils, which can vary in color depending on the manufacturing process. The polyol ester base oils are clear to pale yellow in color and constitute about 95% of the oil.
ExxonMobil is moving their polyol ester production from their Edison NJ plant to the new chemical complex in Port Allen, which will make other synthetic base oils in addition to the POEs. Likewise the lubricant blending facility will blend numerous lubricants, but they will likely hard-pipe isolate a blend tank or two, along with a dedicated packaging line, for the turbine oils. So the investment is carried by many products/applications/markets. Interestingly, jet engine oils are still packaged in steel hermetically sealed round cans (no plastic).
Tom NJ/VA