Blended winglet manufacturer Aviation Partners claims technology has now saved two billion gallons of fuel
(photo: Aviation Partners Boeing)
Fri 5 Mar 2010 – Seattle-based Aviation Partners Boeing has calculated that today marks the achieving of the two billionth gallon of jet fuel saved by its blended winglet technology, valued at over $4 billion and representing a global reduction of 21.5 million tons of CO2 emissions. The company, a joint venture between Aviation Partners and Boeing, says its winglets are now fitted on more than 3,700 aircraft and 21 different airline and business jet aircraft models, at a rate of over 400 aircraft per year. The technology – which makes the aircraft’s wing more efficient by reducing drag and increasing lift – is available for both new production aircraft as well as existing airplanes and the company has so far retrofitted around 2,000 in-service aircraft.
Joe Clark, Chairman and CEO of Aviation Partners, and John Reimers, CEO of Aviation Partners Boeing, expect the fuel savings to climb exponentially to more than seven billion gallons within the next five years.
“We are very proud of this achievement and excited that we are ahead of the curve in energy conservation,” said Clark.
Air New Zealand says its new blended winglets, which have been fitted to its fleet of five Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, are delivering 19% higher fuel savings than forecast.
The airline’s original expectations were that more than six million litres of fuel would be saved annually with the new winglets. However, they are now expected to reduce fuel usage by more than seven million litres and 18,400 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
