We learned from Airbus (Tianjin) Logistics Center that, its newly developed shark-fin-shaped winglets had been installed on Airbus A320 testing craft and a test flight would be carried out within a few weeks.
The shark-fin-shaped winglet is a new type of wingtips specially designed by AIRBUS for its A320 Family. The device could reduce the fuel consumption by 3.5%, which equals the effect that each aircraft reduces carbon emission of 700 tons each year (an equivalent of the total carbon emission by 200 family sedans each year).
Airbus A320 Family is the most bestselling single-aisle aircraft around the world. The A320 Family Final Assembly Line in Tianjin is the third one following the first two lines respectively set in Toulouse of France and Hamburg of Germany. This newly developed shark-fin-shaped winglet, with a height of about 2.5m, is designed to substitute the currently used winglets on wingtips and as soon as the test is successfully carried out, it will be installed on Airbus A320 aircrafts produced in Tianjin.
