Sat, Feb 09, 2008
Blended Winglet Offers Five Percent Improvement In Fuel
Efficiency
GKN Aerospace tells ANN the company recently delivered the first
blended winglet for the Boeing 737-300/500, well ahead of scheduled
delivery dates in the first quarter of this year. The agreement
with Aviation Partners Boeing (APB) was finalized in April
2007.
The multi-year winglet agreement with APB covers the supply of
200 737-300/500 blended winglet aircraft sets. Each of these
winglets is 7' long. The agreement also covers the design,
development and manufacture of 300 sets of 11' long winglets for
the Boeing 767-300ER. These winglets will be produced at GKN
Aerospace facility on the Isle of Wight, UK.
GKN Aerospace's move into blended winglets is a key business
development for the company. Winglets are transforming the
performance of aircraft today. By significantly reducing drag,
blended winglets cut the aircraft's fuel consumption by around five
percent -- improving performance and reducing environmental impact,
both critical factors for the airline or aircraft operator. And
blended winglets can be 'retrofitted' to the huge number of
aircraft already flying, as well as fitted to new airframes.
"By 2010, just over two years from now, APB has predicted that
blended winglets will have saved the world's airlines over 2
billion gallons of fuel," said Jeff Armitage, VP and Director
Nacelles, GKN Aerospace. "For 737 300/500 operators, APB estimates
savings of up to 100,000 gallons of fuel per aircraft per year.
This is a key contract for GKN Aerospace here in Cowes and it is
our aim to play a significant part in this hugely promising market
in the coming years."
"GKN Aerospace is one of the world's top producers of aerospace
composite structures and this agreement will allow us to
significantly increase blended winglet production on our
737-300/500 program," added Aviation Partners Boeing CEO John
Reimers. "We look forward to working with GKN Aerospace as the
world airline industry continues its transition to Blended Winglet
Technology."
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