Madsen Pirie

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is justifiably proud that a British multinational, GKN Aerospace, has been awarded a contract by Boeing to supply advanced technology winglets for its forthcoming 737 MAX aircraft. The Department is so proud of this that they set up a model of the winglet outside their Victoria Street offices to show off to passers by.

The upgraded 737s are scheduled to fly in 2016 and start being delivered to airlines in 2017. GKN will manufacture the winglets in Cowes, Isle of Wight, safeguarding hundreds of highly skilled engineering jobs in the UK. The winglet has a complex composite structure and its more efficient airflow will save an estimated 1.5 percent on fuel costs. This may not sound much, but it represents billions of pounds saved by airlines over the course of the 737s’ working lives. It is part of a series of design updates incorporated into the 737 MAX that will between them give it an 8 percent per passenger seat cost advantage over its likely competition. GKN is a world leader and one of the UK’s most visible success stories, so plaudits all round, guys, on winning the contract.

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