Aircraft Winglet Aids flight efficiency and reduces Air fare operational costs. XAV 4398-418
High jet fuel prices are triggering newfound interest among airlines in winglets. Aviation Partners Boeing, the largest independent winglet manufacturer in the world, says it will deliver 530 sets to commercial airlines in 2006, a 51% increase from last year. In 2005, APB, a joint venture between Boeing and Aviation Partners, received about 780 new orders, and it expects to equal or exceed the total this year, says Patrick LaMoria, an APB sales executive. Winglets, an upturned extension of airplane wings that reduces drag and improves fuel efficiency, have been around for many years in private and military jets. But they had been historically too expensive for commercial airlines, says Mark Moran, a Continental Airlines executive. That changed when jet fuel prices began to rise near the end of 2003. The persistent high fuel prices since Hurricane Katrina have sustained airline interest in spending the extra money on winglets to cut fuel use. Continental has installed 136 sets and plans to install up to 127 more. When jet fuel was cheaper, Moran said, Continental retrofitted only as part of heavy maintenance. With current high fuel prices, the airline retrofits whenever it has the opportunity. APB's list price for a set of winglets for a Boeing 737 is $725,000. APB says fuel savings range from 3% to 5%. "I think they will start sprouting as fuel prices stay high," says Richard Aboulafia at the Teal Group.
Size: 5380px × 3573px
Location: United Kingom, British Isles. Europe.
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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