Ryanair selects APB to provide efficiency-boosting Split Scimitar Winglets

SWORDS, Ireland - Ryanair, a discount fare airline based in Swords, Ireland, announced that it would begin installing Split Scimitar Winglets on the first of more than 400 Boeing 737-800 passenger jets.

The airline says that the retrofit will will improve aircraft fuel efficiency by up to 1.5%, reducing Ryanair’s annual fuel consumption by 65 million liters and carbon emissions by 165,000 tons.

Ryanair said that it had inked an agreement with Aviation Partners Boeing in Tukwila, Wash., to provide their Split Scimitar Winglets. Aviation Partners Boeing (APB) is a joint venture between Aviation Partners, Inc. and The Boeing Company.

According to APB, the Split Scimitar Winglet redefines the aerodynamics of the existing Blended Winglet on the Boeing 737NG family. The combined aerodynamic elements of the retrofit — ventral strakes, scimitar tips, and trailing edge wedges — provide a drag reduction, and corresponding range increase, of two percent or more for long-range missions. These winglets are now standard on all new Boeing Business Jet aircraft, and are already in service on over 700 Boeing 737NG airliners.

"As Europe’s most environmentally efficient major airline, we are leading the way in sustainable aviation as demonstrated by this investment in our fleet," Ryanair’s Director of Sustainability, Thomas Fowler said. "This winglet technology will help us reach our ambitious environmental targets on our pathway to net zero emissions by 2050. We are impressed with APB’s innovative winglet designs and look forward to having them installed on not just this first aircraft but on over 400 of our aircraft to further reduce our emissions."

"Having the operator of the world’s largest fleet of 737-800 Next Generation aircraft install Split Scimitar Winglets is the ultimate endorsement of APB and its products," APB’s Chief Commercial Officer, Patrick LaMoria said. "We are both humbled and honored to continue to support Ryanair in their ambitious sustainability initiatives."