Page 17 - AAA NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2016 Online Magazine

MRO AIRBUS SHARKLET

RIGHT: Sharklet customers are
also wearing smiles because
of the numerous benefits of
Sharklet Wingtip Production
Retrofit and In-Service Retrofit
(ISR) options for A320 Family
OPPOSITE PAGE: Spring Airlines
a Shanghai based LCC has signed
up for Sharklet retrofit of its
A320 aircraft in operation. It
is the first Chinese airline to
perform the retrofit

structures are delivered as a kit, which is Caillaud says. The retrofit involves removal on an average. From the beginning of the
produced by American firm Triumph and of the outer wing, reinforcement of the wing programme, Airbus had decided that both
require a lead time of six months. 17 aircraft structure, attachment of the bathtub and top the Sharklet retrofit and the Sharklet linefit
are currently flying with ISR Sharklet, while skin and finally, installation of the Sharklet devices should be identical, and therefore
the number of aircraft that have received wingtips. The Sharklet retrofit is delivered as fully interchangeable. Hence, the benefits of
a production retrofit is 115. The Sharklet a kit to the customer and can be installed at the retrofit solution are nearly the same as
retrofit solution available at this stage does the operator’s choice of Maintenance Repair those of the production Sharklet option.
not address the A321 family. “This is because & Overhaul (MRO) provider. The In-Service The sole supplier of Sharklets to Airbus is
the wing on the A321 is not the same and retrofit for the Sharklet wingtips, received Korean Air’s Aerospace Division. Compared
a Sharklet retrofit solution for the A321 European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to the distinctive smaller, triangular-shaped
would require further development. Hence and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wingtip devices seen on older A320 Family
a retrofit solution for the A321 is yet to be validation in October, 2015. aircraft which work by modifying the
launched” says Caillaud. The Sharklet ISR was also designed to wing lift distribution, the Sharklets when
Each Sharklet ISR kit contains a service comply to the certification baseline for a retrofitted, provide larger induced drag
bulletin and a kit, which is delivered to the brand new single-aisle aircraft capable of a reductions than wing tip fences by creating
location specified by the customer, it could two-hour flight. The design service goal of much more significant changes to the wing
be the operator facility or the designated a single aisle aircraft today is 48,000 flight loading and effective span. It this improved
Maintenance, Repair Overhaul (MRO) cycles and 96,000 flight hours, as compared aerodynamic effect that allows the Sharklet
provider. Airbus directly ships the kit from to the legacy fleets where this was 48,000 wingtips to deliver large fuel burn reductions
its facilities to the place of retrofit. Then cycles and 60,000 flight hours. Hence the in cruise and significant improvements in
it becomes an MRO task to do the retrofit. Sharklet ISR offers airline operators a climb performance. The aircraft behaviour
“The time taken to complete the retrofit is 36,000 additional flight hours potential is certainly improved in terms of better
estimated at approx three weeks, so it is easily to the aircraft. This equates to 10 years of climb rate, helping in cases where there are
combinable with C-checks, maintenance extra operations at 3,600 flight hours per load limitations on take-off. A320 Family
checks or during cabin/avionics upgrades,” year, which is usage rate for the A320 Family jetliners that are retrofitted with the 2.4
metre-tall Sharklet wingtips can deliver fuel
burn savings of up to four percent on the
THE SHARkLET uPGRAdE PACkAGE THAT longest sectors. The aircraft are also able to
AIRBuS OffERS INCLudES: fly up to 100 nm further or carry an additional
• The Sharklets and attachment ribs 450 kg of payload. Just as in the case of
• Outer wing reinforcements linefit aircraft, no additional pilot training is
• Pre-assembled reinforcement kits needed for pilots who fly A320s fitted with
• A detailed Service Bulletin (SB) including embodiment Sharklets. The investment on Sharklet can
instructions also be considered as an investment on the
• An assessment of avionics pre-requisites and existing aircraft itself as it positively impacts the
“Repairs and Concessions” for the individual aircraft
residual life of the aircraft.

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