What is A320 sharklet?

Sharklets are newly designed wing-tip devices that improve the aircraft's aerodynamics and significantly cut the airline's fuel burn and emissions by four per cent on longer sectors. This milestone makes IndiGo the first airline globally to introduce on A320 aircraft powered by IAE engines.

What is a sharklet Airbus?

What is a “Sharklet?” A Sharklet is simply Airbus' new term for a “winglet.” What's a winglet? A winglet is a vertical wing-tip extension that improves the efficiency of an aircraft. Airbus has chosen to use the term “Sharklet” as a blended winglet design on an Airbus A320 has looks like a shark's dorsal fin.

What is the difference between winglet and sharklet?

Winglets, as they're called, have been fitted to airliners since the '80s, but Airbus has come up with a new name for them: “sharklets.” It's part of an effort to escape a patent on the increasingly important technology that's held by a close partner of Airbus's main rival, Boeing.

What does A320neo stand for?

Airbus A320neo - Noise and emissions reduction

The addition of "neo" stands for "New Engine Option". The aircraft is 15 percent more fuel efficient than today's comparable models.

How much does sharklet cost?

Offered only on new-build aircraft, the sharklet has a $900,000 list price per shipset. Leahy says that a retrofit for in-service aircraft is being examined in conjunction with Aviation Partners (API), which worked with Airbus on the new-build winglet programme.

Airbus A320 Sharklets: a timeline of innovation

Why is the A320neo so popular?

The combination of its faster cruising speed, longer range, and higher two-class capacity make it a very attractive next-generation narrowbody. It also goes without saying that a major improvement is the different engines present on the A320neo.

What is the difference between A320 and A320neo?

How do they compare? We can see that the A320neo is actually a bit bigger than the A320ceo. This means it's able to carry more fuel, fly a longer range, fit more passengers and fly a little faster. It goes without saying that the major improvement is the different engine.

How many hours can A320neo fly?

The shortened-fuselage variant can seat up to 160 passengers or 140 in two classes, with a range of up to 3,750 nmi (6,940 km) and improved takeoff performance, while its ACJ derivative can fly eight passengers 6,750 nmi (12,500 km) or 15 hours.

Can an A320neo fly transatlantic?

With a range of approximately 3,300 nautical miles, the Airbus A320 on paper is capable of completing transatlantic flights.

What is the difference between A320neo and ceo?

At the moment Airbus offers two versions of the A320 – the original A320ceo and the next A320neo. The 'ceo' is older and it stands for the 'current engine option' and the 'neo' is the 'new engine option'.

What is sharklet made of?

The Sharklet surface is comprised of millions of microscopic features arranged in a distinct diamond pattern. The structure of the pattern alone inhibits bacteria from attaching, colonizing and forming biofilms. Sharklet contains no toxic additives or chemicals.

Does Airbus have winglets or Sharklets?

If you have ever looked at an aircraft, you might have noticed a variety of designs on the end of aircraft wings. These are called Winglets on Boeing aircraft and Sharklets on Airbus aircraft, and both provide a significant role in reducing drag.

When did the A320 get Sharklets?

The first sharklet-equipped Airbus A320 was delivered to Indonesia AirAsia on 21 December 2012, offering a 450 kg (990 lb) payload and 190 km (100 nmi) range increases over the original aircraft specifications.

What does sharklet look like?

Winglets & Sharklets

Winglets or Sharklets are upward or downward curved extensions at the wing tips. Although they cause more weight and drag, winglets improve the environmental performance of an aircraft by reducing the induced drag caused by lift, thus minimizing fuel consumption.

Who invented sharklet?

Dr. Anthony Brennan, the world-renowned material engineer and tenured professor at the University of Florida, invented the Sharklet technology.

How many Airbus A320 have crashed?

For the entire A320 family, 160 aviation accidents and incidents have occurred (the latest being Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 on 22 May 2020), including 36 hull loss accidents, and a total of 1393 fatalities in 17 fatal accidents.

Can an A320 fly across the ocean?

A320`s can actually travel just under 4000 nautical miles with no payload and the maximum fuel load on board. So crossings can be made non stop on delivery flights.

How long can a A320 fly without refueling?

The New Airbus Plane Can Fly for 20 Hours without Refuelling.

What is the longest A320 flight?

The longest is Moscow Domodedovo to Blagoveschensk, on the Chinese border, nearly 3,500 miles apart with a block time of up to 8.5 hours. For context, it is 41 miles farther than Heathrow to JFK.

Why is the A320 so popular?

The A320 helped push forward the adoption of fly-by-wire technology, side-stick controls, and cockpit commonality in commercial airliners. Since its first flight in 1987, the A320 family has become a short and medium-haul workhorse for airlines around the world.

How much runway does a A320neo need?

Airbus's charts for the A320 suggest that it requires approximately 4,500ft for a sea-level landing at typical landing weight.

What is the longest flight on an A320neo?

There are eleven A320neo routes where each one spans over 3,000 miles. The longest among these is the Moscow Domodedovo to Blagoveschensk, passing through the Chinese border, which is nearly 3,500 miles apart with a block time of up to 8.5 hours.

Is A320neo quieter?

Next, let's take a look and listen to an A320ceo vs an A320neo. The differences should be clear – the newer engines are significantly quieter. The newer engines have a smaller noise “footprint” – the newer engine noise dies away much faster.

Is Airbus better than Boeing?

While Airbus is the overall winner in this category, Boeing was behind far more widebody flights with 1,103,294 flights compared to 645,220 with Airbus aircraft. The gap between narrowbody operations was slightly more significant at: Airbus 8,744,941 - 7,804,654 Boeing.

Is Airbus safer than Boeing?

What about Boeing and Airbus' safety record? According to Airfleets.net, Airbus has suffered 86 total crashes or accidents between its models – fewer than just the 147 suffered by Boeing's 737 alone.