Air New Zealand has taken delivery of its first A320 equipped with fuel-saving wingtip Sharklets at a ceremony during the 50th Paris Airshow on Monday.
Airbus launched the Sharklet in November 2009, with Air New Zealand becoming the first to commit to the fuel saving devices. So far more than 70 Sharklet aircraft have been delivered to over 20 customers.
“In a seat to seat comparison, the Sharklet equipped A320 will burn 18 per cent less fuel per passenger compared with our Boeing 737-300 jets, which are scheduled to be phased out of our fleet over the next couple of years,” said Air New Zealand’s chief of flight operations and safety officer, Captain David Morgan.
“From a CO2 perspective, each Sharklet equipped A320 aircraft will save 250 tonnes of carbon per year compared with an A320 without Sharklets.”
Air New Zealand will take delivery of a total of 10 Sharklet-equipped A320s.
