Austrian Returns 1st 767 With Winglets To Service

By Lee Ann Tegtmeier

Austrian Airlines returned a Boeing 767 to service this past weekend after TIMCO Aviation in Greensboro, N.C., installed winglets on the aircraft. Austrian expects 767 aircraft with winglets to "save some 1,000 tons of kerosene a year on every aircraft converted. We are also increasing the range of the aircraft by around 670 km per flight, and can raise the payload to certain destinations by up to five tons," said Dr. Peter Malanik, Austrian Airlines COO, in a press release.

It took 25 days to complete the installation on OE-LAE, with the bulk of the time spent strengthening the wing and installing sensors, with only one to two days for actual winglet installation, said Austrian spokesman Michael Braun.

Austrian plans to equip a total of four 767s with winglets, with two more potentially getting converted as early as May. Braun said the fourth 767 will get upgraded at its next C check, so the timing of that one "is strongly dependent on the number of cycles it is going to do in the coming time," he said. However, he said Austrian expects to complete all four 767 winglet installations by the end of the first quarter 2010.

Photo: Austrian Airlines