Virgin Australia Becomes the First Aussie Operator

Virgin Australia Airlines is reportedly the first airline in Australia to install Split Scimitar Winglets on its Boeing Next Generation 737-800 aircraft.

The Aviation Partners Boeing (APB) product, a retrofit of the existing Blended Winglets, is the most advanced technology winglet ever produced, offering unprecedented fuel savings and carbon emissions reductions for the world's most popular commercial aircraft.

"Virgin Australia is always looking for innovative ways to create a better environment, having launched the world's first government certified airline carbon offset scheme, and now starting Australia's first Split Scimitar Winglet operations," said Craig McCallum, Aviation Partners Boeing's director of sales and marketing. "We are very proud to have such a compelling endorsement of our technology."

Installation on the first aircraft was completed last week in Christchurch and now Virgin Australia can expect to reduce fuel consumption by about 200,000 liters per aircraft per year. The resulting carbon dioxide emissions reduction is about 515 tonnes per aircraft per year.

"The wingtip vortex spins the same way Down Under as it does north of the equator," says Patrick LaMoria, APB's chief commercial officer. "Without Split Scimitar Winglets you're just flushing jet fuel savings down the drain."

Since launching the Split Scimitar Winglet program for the Boeing Next-Generation 737, APB has taken orders and options for over 2,200 systems, and over 1,200 aircraft are now operating with the technology. APB estimates its products have reduced aircraft fuel consumption worldwide by over 9.8 billion gallons to-date, thereby eliminating over 104 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

FMI: www.aviationpartnersboeing.com