AA-1427 737-8 MAX High speed RTO @ SVD

Maximilian_Jenius said:
Why do some older 319's/320's have winglets. But some still have the wingtip fences???
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Ooooh! Spooky, no wingtip devices at ALL! (aka the "A320-100")

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Maximilian_Jenius said:
Why do some older 319's/320's have winglets. But some still have the wingtip fences???
Click to expand...

Below a certain serial number, 1200 if I recall correctly, the aircraft cannot get retrofitted with sharklets at all. Above that serial number, it depends on the weight variant that the aircraft is currently in, and whether the payback math works for the airline or not.

Because of the increase in empty weight from the sharklets, some A320 variants will require upgrades to the max zero fuel weight (mzfw) and max landing weight (mlw) in addition to the sharklet retrofit. All of that is expensive, and to get the weight upgrade requires Airbus' technical team to review all repairs made since birth to ensure that the specific aircraft can even be upgraded in the first place.

After that, it's pretty basic math. Save 3-5% on fuel burn, which translates to dollar savings depending on fuel prices, and check that against the upfront cost for the installation. In a world where fuel prices are $3.00/gallon, the retrofit made sense (think pre-2014). Once fuel cratered in 2014, the math no longer worked. With fuel hovering at $2.00 - $2.50/gallon all-in right now, it's a lot fuzzier.
 
Ecl!pse said:
Below a certain serial number, 1200 if I recall correctly, the aircraft cannot get retrofitted with sharklets at all. Above that serial number, it depends on the weight variant that the aircraft is currently in, and whether the payback math works for the airline or not.

Because of the increase in empty weight from the sharklets, some A320 variants will require upgrades to the max zero fuel weight (mzfw) and max landing weight (mlw) in addition to the sharklet retrofit. All of that is expensive, and to get the weight upgrade requires Airbus' technical team to review all repairs made since birth to ensure that the specific aircraft can even be upgraded in the first place.

After that, it's pretty basic math. Save 3-5% on fuel burn, which translates to dollar savings depending on fuel prices, and check that against the upfront cost for the installation. In a world where fuel prices are $3.00/gallon, the retrofit made sense (think pre-2014). Once fuel cratered in 2014, the math no longer worked. With fuel hovering at $2.00 - $2.50/gallon all-in right now, it's a lot fuzzier.
Click to expand...

Similar story for the NGs right?

We have a couple straight wing NGs (like N303AS), and I've been told their wing box geometry doesn't allow for SSWs.
 
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