Says Airplanes Launch A 'New Era Of Fuel Savings And Emissions Reduction'

Southwest Airlines on Wednesday operated its first revenue flight utilizing a Boeing 737-800 equipped with Aviation Partner's Boeing Split Scimitar Winglets. The newly designed winglet differs than those currently installed on the carrier's fleet of Boeing 737s, with aerodynamic scimitar tips and a large ventral strake on the bottom of the blended winglet structure.

By upgrading the 737-800s with Split Scimitar Winglets, annual fuel savings are estimated to increase from approximately 3.5 percent per aircraft from Blended Winglets to approximately 5 to 5.5 percent per aircraft annually. In addition, the new winglet will reduce emissions, supporting Southwest's commitment to the environment.

The Split Scimitar Winglets will be installed on 33 new 737-800s once they are delivered to the airline this year. The airline also plans to retrofit 52 additional 737-800s currently in the fleet. The retrofits are expected to be completed by early 2015. All of the carrier's Boeing 737-700s and 737-800s, as well as a majority of its 737-300s, are equipped with Blended Winglets saving the company roughly 55 million gallons of fuel annually. Blended Winglets were first installed on Southwest Airlines Boeing 737s in 2007.

(Image provided by Southwest)

FMI: www.southwest.com