China’s Sichuan Airlines has received its first A320 aircraft equipped with Sharklets, becoming one of the operators to benefit from the fuel saving devices in single-aisle Airbus aircraft.
Powered by IAE V2500 engines, the A320 features a two class cabin, which can accommodate 164 passengers with eight in business class and the remaining 156 in economy class.
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Sharklets are an optional feature on the new-build A320 airliners and are standard on all the variants of the A320neo jets.
The wing-tip devices enable carriers to reduce fuel burn by up to 4% on long-haul routes, according to Airbus.
Made from lightweight composites, the 2.4m-tall Sharklets offer the flexibility of adding about 100nm of range or increasing payload capability of up to 992lb.
Sichuan Airlines general manager Li Haiying said that with the introduction of the A320 with Sharklets, the carrier will be able to further optimise its route network and reduce its operational cost.
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By GlobalData"As the first airline to introduce Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft in China, Sichuan Airlines has benefited from the low-cost and highly reliable Airbus aircraft," Haiying said.
Airbus COO Customers John Leahy added: "The Sharklets will deliver up to 4% reduction in fuel burn and make the airline even more competitive across China and Asia."
Sichuan Airlines is the largest all Airbus fleet operator in China and currently operates a fleet of five A330s and 70 A320 family aircraft.
The airline is the first to operate an Airbus fly-by-wire aircraft, A320, in 1995 and in 2009, it received the first A320 assembled at the Airbus Final Assembly Line China (FALC) in Tianjin.
The A320 family of aircraft has to date logged more than 9,500 orders and over 5,600 were delivered to more than 380 customers and operators across the world.
Image: An A320 equipped with Sharklets in China Eastern Airlines’ livery. Photo: courtesy of Airbus SAS.
