Airbus to boost A320’s green technology with ‘Sharklet’

Airbus on Sunday said it seeks to further enhance the eco-efficiency and payload performance of its A320 fleet model with the launch of the “Sharklet” large wingtip devices.

John Leahy, Chief Operating Officer-Customers of Airbus, said all A320 aircraft set for delivery by the end of 2012 will be fitted with the Sharklet while other models under the A320 Family will be fitted with the device by 2013.

The Sharklet is billed as one of the French aircraft manufacturer’s responses to the growing clamour for the global aviation industry to reduce its carbon footprint. The device is expected to reduce fuel burn annually by 3.5 per cent or about 700 tonnes of CO2 reduction per aircraft.

It has also been designed to increase the aircraft’s revenue payload by about 500 kilograms and allow an additional 20 passengers on board. Airbus claims that at $900,000, Sharklet is cheap because it guarantees cost-effectiveness, allowing airlines to save on operating costs and redeem the value within only less than four years of operating the Sharklet-fitted aircraft.

Wingtip devices such as Sharklet are used to reduce the aeroplane’s drag by altering the airflow near the tip of an aircraft wing. Thus it helps in increasing takeoff and handling performances.

“You get more range, more payload, 20 pax [passengers] on board, better take-off performance, fuel savings, and lower operating cost. I think we got a winner,” says Leahy about the Sharklet.

When asked if existing A320 aircraft will be retrofitted with the Sharklet, Leahy said Airbus is looking at possible options.

“The Sharklet is not that easy to retrofit. It’s an all new design built for new aeroplanes. We do understand that we’ve already got quite a number of aircraft out there by the time the new aircraft (A320) enters service by 2013. So we are looking at what can be done,” he explained.

Currently Air New Zealand is the first airline to order the Sharklet-fitted A320, but Leahy said they are also aggressively targeting airlines from the Middle East.

According to the Airbus website, over 6,400 A320 Family aircraft have been sold so far to more than 300 customers worldwide, making it the best selling commercial jetliner ever. It has the lowest operating costs of any single-aisle aeroplane.