The Airbus A380 Superjumbo May Get Even Larger With New Wings
- Planemaker is studying 16-foot ‘winglet’ extensions
- Modification intended to reduce drag, improve fuel burn
Passenger seating sits in the business class cabin of an Airbus A380-800 aircraft, operated by Qatar Airways.
Photographer: Jasper Juinen/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Airbus SE’s A380 superjumbo may sprout extended wings as the European manufacturer intensifies studies into the addition of curved extensions aimed at reducing drag and boosting efficiency.
The so-called winglets, which on the A380 would each measure as much as 5 meters (16-feet), could reduce fuel burn by up to 4 percent by dissipating the vortexes of rapidly spinning air created by the plane’s wings.