FACC equips 2,000th Airbus aircraft with Sharklets
Eight-foot-high composite components furnish the Airbus A320 Family, enhancing fuel efficiency via their biomimetic design.
FACC team flanked by two Sharklets. Source | FACC AG
In June 2024, FACC (Ried im Innkreis, Austria) equipped the 2,000th Airbus aircraft with Sharklets — 8-foot-high parts made of composite materials that consist of around 4,000 individual components. The upwardly curved wingtips help to significantly reduce an aircraft’s fuel consumption.
The Sharklets are manufactured at FACC headquarters in Ried im Innkreis by a team of around 100 highly specialized experts, then delivered directly to Airbus production lines. They specifically equip the Airbus A320 Family; in this way, FACC says it is making a significant contribution to increasing the efficiency and range of modern passenger aircraft. To celebrate this anniversary, a Sharklet will be assembled at Airbus and will go to an airline in the Arab world.
“Producing 2,000 Sharklets for our customer Airbus is a milestone for FACC,” emphasizes FACC CEO Robert Machtlinger. “We look forward to equipping many more Airbus aircraft with FACC Sharklets in the coming years. With over 7,000 Airbus A320 Family aircraft on order by airlines, we are now continuing this success story together.”
Sharklets are biomimetic — they are inspired by large birds, such as the condor, which have outer feathers that bend upward during flight, enabling them to fly more efficiently. The name “Sharklet” is derived from the shark-fin-like shape of the component.
Learn more about FACC AG and Sharklets, which are featured in this 2014 plant tour.
Related Content
-
Plant tour: Joby Aviation, Marina, Calif., U.S.
As the advanced air mobility market begins to take shape, market leader Joby Aviation works to industrialize composites manufacturing for its first-generation, composites-intensive, all-electric air taxi.
-
Novel dry tape for liquid molded composites
MTorres seeks to enable next-gen aircraft and open new markets for composites with low-cost, high-permeability tapes and versatile, high-speed production lines.
-
The potential for thermoplastic composite nacelles
Collins Aerospace draws on global team, decades of experience to demonstrate large, curved AFP and welded structures for the next generation of aircraft.
