Icelandair is fitting a modified blended winglet to its Boeing 757-200 fleet, the first airline in Europe to install the ‘scimitar’ design on the twinjet type.

The scimitar winglet, developed by Aviation Partners Boeing, features a modified tip as well as a trailing-edge wedge.

Icelandair intends to have 17 aircraft with the new winglets in service before this year’s summer season. Four have already been retrofitted.

Fleet manager Andri Gretarsson says the improved drag performance, compared with the current winglets on its 757s, will cut fuel burn by a further 1%.

“This kind of technology helps us with our ongoing drive for carbon-neutral growth by 2020,” he adds.

Icelandair is operating a fleet of 25 757-200s and a single -300, plus four 767-300s. It plans to introduce 737 Max jets – which feature a split wing-tip design – next year.

Source: Cirium Dashboard