South Korea's leading flag carrier Korean Air Lines Co. said Monday it has
started mass production and delivery of winglet extensions for an Airbus
consortium passenger jet.
Korean Air, which also engages in aircraft
manufacturing and maintenance businesses, said full-scale production of the
"Sharklets" for the popular A320 series jets began with the first unit being
handed over to the European aircraft manufacturer on Sunday.
The
Sharlets are "L-shaped" extensions attached to the tips of the main wings that
help reduce drag as the plane flies through the air.
Airbus is a
consortium of European aerospace companies from France, Germany, Spain and
Britain.
Korean Air said total orders for the winglets should exceed 1
trillion won (US$878.5 million) in the coming years.
The company,
meanwhile, said it has finished design work to build cargo doors for Airbus's
next generation A350 fuel-efficient passenger planes.
Production of
cargo doors is expected to start within in the year, with sales to reach 500
billion won by 2021, it said.
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