DUBAI -- Airbus will offer fuel-saving winglets on its A320 family aircraft beginning in 2012. The specially designed 'sharklets' will provide a 3.5% fuel burn savings on routes longer than 1500 nm. Air New Zealand will launch the new sharklets at the end of 2012 as part of its recent order for A320 aircraft. Airbus says the A321 and A319 will follow in 2013. Airbus has not yet decided if it will offer the winglet on the A318.
Airbus claims the winglets will offer a boost of 110 nm in range or a payload increase of 500 kg or about 2 passengers.
The winglets will not be offered as a retrofit, but Airbus says it is working with Aviation Partners to provide a simpler design on existing A320 aircraft.
Second Photo Credit Airbus
on November 15, 2009 5:33 AM | Reply
Amazing improvement! 3.5% fuel burn savings for long routes, that's quite a lot! No surprise Air New Zealand is interested.
I'd like to know what mods where necessary in the wing to get the sharklets.
on November 15, 2009 5:34 AM | Reply
I assume there must be a mistake: how can 500kg payload be the equivalent of 20 paseengers?
on November 15, 2009 10:14 AM | Reply
"I assume there must be a mistake: how can 500kg payload be the equivalent of 20 paseengers?"
i stand to correct you
"Airbus claims the winglets will offer a boost of 110 nm in range or a payload increase of 500 kg or about 2 passengers.
"
on November 15, 2009 3:47 PM | Reply
Wow, nice can't wait. But A320 with winglets will sure take some getting used to. I love the wingtip fences and I've gotten so used to them.
on November 15, 2009 4:44 PM | Reply
Air New Zealand is interested in the A320s because they received a 50% discount, and Airbus paid them a considerable amount of money to remove corrosion from the rear spar.
http://www.nzx.com/home/3033420/Air-NZ-clinched-half-price-Airbus-deal
The 14 airbuses are worth US$1.08 billion and AIRNZ is paying only US$540 million!!!
They are paying what the A320s are worth.
on November 15, 2009 10:42 PM | Reply
Thanks Jon,
Just a quick query - are these in house developed or the aviation partners ones? Not clear on the results of the fly-off?!
now we wait for the addition of the gtf....
on November 16, 2009 10:49 AM | Reply
"Sharklets"? Oh come on. This is taking the PR crap a bit too far.
on November 16, 2009 7:26 PM | Reply
Exactly! Who cares in Airbus, that all the costs will be covered by whole EU taxpayer community! WOW! I would like to get discount of 50% on everything I buy! This company is a complete fraud in terms of fair business. Not a surprise at all, that WTO ruled Airbas a "dirty" company.
on November 17, 2009 11:16 AM | Reply
@suland
Get a grip. Do you think Boeing sells anything for "list price"? Do you think any airline pays "list price" for any aircraft? It's not the way things work in the aerospace industry, everything is negotiated. As sales of Boeing and Airbus aircraft are about equal, I'd say that's pretty much because the costs work out about equal.
on November 17, 2009 3:26 PM | Reply
Sure economics and the bottom line is what counts. In reality, the fact is that the 737 looks a whole lot better with winglets. Case clossed, next.