Qantas has revealed it has begun the process of installing new ‘split scimitar winglets’ on 23 of its Boeing 737 at its maintenance facility in Brisbane.
The new wing tips will help the carrier not only save fuel, but also reduce carbon emissions and increase the distance each aircraft can fly.
“We’ve significantly invested in our fleet renewal program which will see new, more fuel-efficient aircraft join Qantas and reduce our carbon emissions,” chief sustainability officer, Qantas Group, Andrew Parker, said.
“While we keep adding more fuel efficient aircraft, we’re focused on improving the operational efficiency of our current fleet.
“The new winglets are one of the many changes, small and large, that customers will notice as we transform our operations to be more sustainable.”
Qantas Group has committed to an average fuel efficiency improvement of 1.5 per cent a year until 2030 and to reach net zero by 2050.
Qantas says one winglet takes over 500 hours to install and test, however will increase fuel efficiency by up to two per cent.
“When a plane is flying, air is flowing over the top and bottom of the wing creating a long spiral at the tip. It’s called a vortex,” Qantas aircraft maintenance engineer Adam Stringer told news.com.
“You can sometimes see these spirals trailing behind the aircraft wing, especially when it’s raining or it’s misty weather.
“Even though these spirals look impressive, they create drag, which is not ideal. Drag places additional resistance on the aircraft, which means you need to use more power and more fuel to counteract it.
Having two tips on “What makes these winglets so special is that there’s two tips.”
They reduce the amount of air from swirling around the end of the wing.