How much fuel do the A320's sharklets save?

Short answer

Sharklets improve the A320 family's fuel burn by 3.5% on longer sectors, saving about 730 tonnes of CO2 per aircraft per year. Airbus's retrofit for aircraft already in service cuts fuel costs by up to four percent, with more than 900 tonnes of CO2 saved annually per aircraft.

Published: October 31, 2026 · Updated: October 31, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

How much fuel do the A320's sharklets save?

Lufthansa Airbus A320-211 D AIQT 01Julian Herzog (Website) (CC BY), vía commons

A 3.5% saving on longer sectors

Sharklets improve the A320 family's fuel burn by 3.5% on longer sectors. That saving is equivalent to an annual reduction of about 730 metric tonnes of CO2 per aircraft. The launch operator was Air New Zealand, whose A320s were to debut the devices by the end of 2012. The first application on the A321 would follow about six months later, with the A319 coming next and, eventually, the A318.

Retrofitting aircraft already in service

For older A320-family aircraft already flying, a retrofit version of the device exists. The modification reduces fuel costs by up to four percent. It also increases mission range by up to 100 nautical miles. The stated emissions saving exceeds 900 tonnes of CO2 per year per aircraft. Operators of those aircraft thus gain access to significant cost savings and performance improvements.

Also on corporate Airbus jets

Comlux The Aviation Group was the first to retrofit sharklets on an Airbus corporate jet, an ACJ319. On that aircraft the fuel saving likewise reaches up to four percent, with the corresponding range improvement.