Air New Zealand Reports Greater Fuel Savings with Blended Winglets

Air New Zealand has said that its new blended winglets, which are being fitted to its fleet of 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 installation of new performance-enhancing blended winglets on its fleet of five Boeing 767 aircraft.

However, with four aircraft now fitted with the winglets, the airline is reporting fuel savings are 19% higher than predicted, with the fleet now expected to reduce fuel usage by more than seven million litres and 18,400 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

The blended winglets, which have been developed by Aviation Partners Boeing, are 3.4 metre high wing-tip devices. They make the aircraft's wing more efficient by reducing drag, increasing lift and significantly improving fuel use and reducing emissions.

In addition to significant fuel savings and reduction in carbon emissions, the blended winglets provide additional commercial benefits for aircraft operating services on longer sectors, including enabling the aircraft to climb faster and improving payload performance.

The final aircraft is now being refitted and will be back in service in early November.

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