Winglets, sharklets — call them what you like, but the Boeing Co. no longer has the exclusive on fuel-saving wing-tip devices for jets.
An Airbus A320 equipped with sharklets has completed its first flight, the jet maker said Wednesday. Airbus predicts the wing-tip device will cut fuel burn by 3.5 percent on its single-aisle aircraft.
Airbus is offering what it calls “sharklets” as an option on A320s in production. The company’s A320 new engine option jet, or A320neo, will have the sharklets as part of the standard product. With the new engines and sharklets, Airbus estimates its A320neo will be 15 percent more fuel-efficient than similar aircraft.
“With this start of Sharklet flight-testing today, actions speak louder than words as we take another definitive step towards greener aviation,” John Leahy, Airbus’s chief executive officer for customers, said in a statement.
Airbus’ rival Boeing has offered its fuel-saving “winglets” for years on its 737. The Chicago-based jet maker has offered winglets on newly built planes and as a retrofit for already built ones.
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