Austrian Airlines has become the first european airline to equip it’s Boeing 767 fleet with winglets.Alfred ?-tsch, Chief Executive Officer of the Austrian Airlines Group, summarised the benefits of Boeing 767 ‘winglets’: ‘The environmentally-friendly and economical usage of resources is of particular concern to us at Austrian Airlines, and this also applies to our decisions over the application of new technologies. Austrian Airlines is once again way out in front of its competitors, and will soon become the first airline in Europe to fit its Boeing 767 fleet with so-called ‘blended winglets’. We will also benefit from this new development at the economic level, as we are expecting to use around 1,000 tons less kerosene per Boeing 767 every year whilst simultaneously extending the range of the aircraft by around 670 km. In addition to this, the payload can be increased by up to five tons at certain destinations. Our Boeing 767 fleet is distinctive not merely because it provides the best possible passenger comfort but also due to its state of the art technology.’

‘Winglets’ is the term used to describe the upturned ends of the wings of an aircraft. The effect of winglets is to improve the aerodynamics of the aircraft, cutting fuel consumption as a result. The Boeing 737-800 new generation fleet already uses blended winglets. The six Austrian Boeing 767 will be successively equipped with winglets from spring 2009 onwards. Austrian Airlines is the first airline in Europe, and the second in the world, to opt to fit the new winglets from Aviation Partner Boeing.
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