Air NZ to fit winglets to cut fuel and emissions

WELLINGTON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - National carrier Air New Zealand Ltd (AIR.NZ) is to fit winglets to its Boeing 767-300ER planes to cut fuel consumption and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the airline said on Tuesday.

The airline said it expected the modifications would save more than NZ$7.5 million ($4.9 million) in fuel costs and cut CO2 emissions by around 16,000 tonnes a year.

The winglets, developed by Aviation Partners Boeing, are 3.4 metre (11 feet) high wing-tip devices, and reduce the drag near the wing tip, which means the aircraft uses less fuel, and can climb faster.

"As a result of this initiative we expect to reduce the fuel consumption across our 767 fleet by around 1.6 million barrels annually," said General Manager Airline Operations David Morgan.

Air NZ's five 767 planes fly to Australia and around the Pacific and will be modified from next July.

The airline said it would look at fitting the winglets to planes on long range services such as its Boeing 777-200ERs.

It said it would also fit electrically-powered dryers to all its fleet to reduce moisture trapped in aircraft insulation, which would also save fuel and cut carbon emissions.

The driers could be expected to typically remove from each aircraft around 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of water caused by passengers exhaling and condensation from cold temperatures outside the aircraft.

No cost for the two initiatives was given.

Shares in Air New Zealand, around 77 percent owned by the government, last traded down 2.8 percent at NZ$1.05, matching the decline in the broader market. ($1=NZ$1.53) (Reporting by Gyles Beckford)