Who manufactures the sharklets on Airbus A320 aircraft?

Sharklets are wingtip devices designed by Airbus, and the Korean Air group's aerospace division was selected by the European manufacturer as the sole supplier of these devices for the A320 family. Under the agreement, Korean Air Aerospace manufactures these composite devices and delivers them to the A320 family's final assembly lines in Toulouse, Hamburg and Tianjin. The first A320 fitted with sharklets was due to be delivered from late 2012.

The new devices, around 2.5 metres tall, replace the wingtip fence that the A320 family had carried until then and improve its efficiency. They cut fuel burn mainly on long stages, by around 3.5% less fuel, equivalent to about 700 fewer tonnes of CO2 per aircraft per year, as well as increasing payload-range and improving take-off performance.

FACC manufactures sharklets for the A320 family, helping to increase the efficiency and range of modern passenger aircraft. Each set, made from high-performance composite materials, consists of around 4,000 individual components. Production is carried out by a team of around 100 specialists. The sharklets produced at FACC's headquarters in Ried im Innkreis are delivered directly to Airbus's production lines. The A320 family has amassed more than 7,000 orders from airlines.