The handover of initial Sharklet-equipped A320 to AirAsia has begun, the low-cost carrier has ordered the most A320 jetliners of any airline operator.
Built using lightweight composite materials, the 2.4-metre-tall Sharklets are manufactured by the Korean Air Group’s Korean Air Aerospace Division. The Sharklets help reduce the spiral-shaped vortices formed at the aircrafts wingtips during flight.
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The Sharklets further improve the A320’s aerodynamics which also contributes to a lowering of the jetliner’s fuel consumption and emissions, an enhancement of takeoff performance, increased range and payload capability, improved rate-of-climb, a raising of the optimum flight altitude, and a lowering of engine maintenance costs.
For AirAsia, the Sharklets will be fitted on new A320 Family jetliners received by the airline. In total, AirAsia has ordered 475 of the Airbus single-aisle aircraft, of which more than 100 already have been provided to the airline.
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