Additional benefits include increased range for retrofitted planes. For example, Transavia noted an improvement of about 108 nautical miles (200 kilometers) in range after installing Split Scimitar Winglets.
Delta has also upgraded other older aircraft types within its fleet to improve efficiency. Since 2007, it has fitted blended winglets onto Boeing 757-200/300 and Boeing 767-300ER models originally delivered without them. In a statement from a Delta press release in 2009, then-COO Jim Whitehurst said: “We expect to see a minimum of 3.5 percent improvements in our fuel consumption and a minimum of 5 percent in our range thanks to this added technology." According to Delta’s data at the time, retrofitted Boeing 757-200s gained an extra range of about 200 NM while larger Boeing 767-300ERs saw their range increase by up to 350 NM.
Currently, Delta operates fleets including:
- Boeing 757-200: approximately eighty units
- Boeing 757-300: fifteen units
- Boeing 767-300ER: thirty-six units
- Boeing 767-400ER: eighteen units
The use of advanced winglet designs is not limited to Boeing; Airbus has also experimented with similar technologies for various models such as the A320 family and A380 superjumbo jet. In particular, Airbus introduced Split Scimitar-style winglets as part of its "A380plus" program during the Paris Air Show in June 2017. These modifications were expected to yield up to four percent improvement in fuel burn along with other operational benefits like reduced cost per seat and greater payload or passenger capacity options for airlines. However, despite these potential gains—and unveiling them publicly—the initiative did not lead to additional orders or extend production; Airbus ultimately ended A380 manufacturing after delivering its final unit to Emirates toward the end of 2021.
Not all commercial jets are equipped with or require traditional winglet retrofits; some modern widebodies such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, 747–8, and 777-X use alternative solutions like raked wingtips instead of conventional winglets for aerodynamic efficiency during long-haul flights.
Advancements continue as manufacturers explore new concepts like Airbus’s AlbatrossONE project—a semi-aeroelastic hinged wingtip system designed for adaptive performance both on ground and during flight—aimed at further optimizing aerodynamics while maintaining access flexibility at airports worldwide.
As aviation technology evolves with sustainability goals driving innovation across fleets globally, airlines like Delta are investing in upgrades that offer measurable returns through lower operating costs and environmental impact reduction.
“We expect to see a minimum of 3.5 percent improvements in our fuel consumption and a minimum of 5 percent in our range thanks to this added technology," said Jim Whitehurst when discussing earlier retrofit efforts within Delta’s fleet.
Alerts Sign-up
