Tuesday, May 15, 2012

► ETHIOPIA: See Ethiopian's B767 - now with Winglets!

Ethiopian
As reported by Ethiopian Airlines (ET) in March, its Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Unit scored another first in Africa, by successfully fitting winglets to one of Ethiopian's Boeing 767-300s - ET-ALJ - which, it says will "reduce fuel burn by up to 5% and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 5,000 tons per year. The blended winglets will improve the 767-300ER performance from Addis by increasing the takeoff weight to 2.0 - 2.5 tons and the payload range by 204 nautical miles"

Ethiopian 767 with Winglets
Ethiopian's 767 ET-ALJ at Accra, Ghana (PRM)
"Ato Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO Ethiopian Airlines said, "I would like to congratulate our MRO team for the outstanding performance and for the job well done. From an economics point of view, the winglets will allow the airline to make substantial cost saving, through lower fuel consumption, which is highly critical at a time when the industry as a whole is feeling the brunt of persistent high fuel prices. This fitting will also reduce engine maintenance cost. The winglets will enhance our take-off performance specifically from our high altitude hub and increase our payload including the flight range.""
Read More Here [Ethiopian Airlines]