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ANA to add winglets to 767-300ER fleet

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ANA will become the first Japanese airline to add performance-enhancing blended winglets to its Boeing 767-300ER fleet from the coming fiscal year, commencing April 1, 2009.

As laid out in its Ecology Plan 2008-2011, which calls for the airline to reduce CO2 emissions, ANA will introduce the carbon fiber winglets to a total of 16 767-300ERs from fiscal 2009, which commences April1, 2009, including the two variants that will be delivered in the current fiscal year.

Manufactured by Airline Partners Boeing, each winglet is 3.4 meters long, 4.5 meters wide, and will extend the length of each wing by 1.65 meters. By improving the aerodynamics of the wing, ANA expects to make an efficiency gain of 5%, or a saving of 2,100 tonnes of CO2 per annum for each aircraft.

“Enhancing our current fleet in this way underlines ANA’s commitment to flying the most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly aircraft in the most efficient way possible. We are harnessing technologies available today and are actively changing our operational procedures according to best practice. For the future, we will be the first to receive and fly the Boeing 787 and Mitsubishi Regional Jet, both of which will usher in new levels of economic and environmental performance,” said Tomonobu Matsumura, director of ANA’s CSR Promotion, Environmental and Social Affairs.

In January this year, ANA underwent an IATA Fuel Efficiency Gap Analysis (FEGA), which identified areas for potential fuel savings, including the optimization of fuel carried on each flight. Based on the report by the FEGA team ANA has set up an on-going company-wide project to implement the findings, which resulted in the decision to incorporate the 767-300ER winglets.

To date, ANA has also implemented other measures designed to reduce fuel burn and related emissions. These include operational elements such as flying at optimal altitude and speed, taxiing without all engines running, using reverse idle on landing, and giving simulator training to encourage fuel-saving habits; and non-operational elements, such as using lighter utensils, crockery and carts and other goods onboard, washing the engine compressor with water to increase efficiency by removing drag-inducing carbon deposits.

© Japan Today

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11 Comments
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Coligny

These days the majority of commercial pilots use only the reverse idle setting to slow down after touching down and have been doing so for some time. Many other major airlines are miles ahead of ANA in implementing fuel-saving procedures. In order to burn less fuel commercial pilots are using less thrust to take off, flying the aircraft 'clean' (limiting/minimizing use of flaps, slats, landing gear, etc) as much as possible, and staying at cruising altitude longer by making shorter more concise descents. These are all done within established industry safety parameters. Get used to them or increase your dosage of Xanax when you fly...

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I do work for one of the companies but don't want to reveal that here. But as for ANA's Ecology Plan 2008-2011, I can say with confidence it is about cutting CO2 emissions. Of course the company also has a safety plan and a financial plan. From the documents I have read, I would say the priority is this: (1) safety, (2) financial, (3) environmental.

Hope that was on topic enough.

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Picard, thats why i corrected my post. they should buy more 787's than they planned. i understand about the delays. i think the 787 is the way to go. by the way, which company do you work for? ANA or Boeing? Can't really lose either way.

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wow, pimp my plane! are they gonna get some rims for them planes as well?

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This is NOT about cutting CO2 emissions. It's all about saving money because of the price of jet fuel. ANA is disguising this fact by saying that it's part of its 'Ecology Plan'.

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PepinGalarga, ANA do want to buy more of the B787, and ANA is in fact the launch company for this new aircraft, meaning they will be the first airline company to use this new plane. Problem is, Boeing has delayed the delivery at least 3 times now. And this is about cutting CO2 emmissions, not cutting fares.

Coligny, this isn't cutting corners. This is improving an alreading-existing design.

Am I biased? You bet...I work for the company.

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not a newsworthy story. does this mean fares will drop? they dont mention any impact on fares.

do you think any company these days passes savings on to the consumer? they'd rather give you less for the same price (or the same for a higher price) so they keep their profit margin the same.

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i correct myself, they should buy "more" of the 787's, then sell the older planes to other companies.

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not a newsworthy story. does this mean fares will drop? they dont mention any impact on fares.

Instead of spending millions on winglets for obsolete airplanes, they should buy the new Boeing plane which has 25-30% increased fuel efficiency.

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Great move by ANA to add winglets to 767s.

5 percent efficiency gain, is big gain in aircrafts operation costs..

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And birds will start to fall of the sky in the name of ecology and fuel saving...

Flying a jet is one of the thing you want to do properly... not by cutting corners... especially not "saving fuel" by changing the method for slowing down at landing... not with pilot having a god syndrome and barely able to speak english...

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