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On 1 March 2013, Lufthansa took delivery of the first Airbus A320 equipped with sharklets. The 2.4-metre-tall wingtip extensions will further improve fuel efficiency during flight operations. Fuel savings of between 1 and 4 per cent can be achieved, depending on the length of the route. That reduces the impact on the environment and also saves costs.
Sharklets are a boon, and not only in terms of fuel efficiency. Aircraft that are fitted with sharklets can also climb at a steeper angle, which reduces noise emissions in the vicinity of an airport.
The wingtip devices that improve a plane’s aerodynamics are called sharklets because of their resemblance to a shark’s dorsal fin. Inspiration for the design of the high wingtips, however, came from large birds such as the crane and the condor, which curl their wingtip feathers upward and thus greatly improve their energy efficiency when flying.
Sharklets are standard on the A320neo and A321neo aircraft that Lufthansa has ordered. The airline will deploy these aircraft types from 2015.
The SWISS also opts for Sharklets and took delivery of its first airbus A320 with the upward wingtip extensions in March 2013.
Since March 22nd, 2013, the machine has been used on airplane network of SWISS. The new airplane is deployed on medium-haul routes in Europe and to destinations in Africa and the Middle East.
