Aero Design Labs (ADL) today announced the first revenue flight in Canada with its proprietary drag reduction kit installed, with a WestJet 737-700 aircraft operating from Calgary to Toronto on March 20, 2023. As part of the testing and certification process, WestJet was the first airline in the world to install and operate with an ADL drag reduction kit on its aircraft. This milestone follows the Transport Canada issuance of a Supplemental Type Certificate for ADL’s drag reduction kit for installation on the Boeing 737-700 aircraft in December 2022.
«We are delighted to see our drag reduction kits flying with WestJet in Canada», said Chris Jones, Aero Design Labs’ Chief Commercial Officer. «All of us at Aero Design Labs are grateful to WestJet and their teams who were pivotal in the testing and ultimate certification of our drag reduction kit. Together, we look forward to validating the reduced fuel burn and increased CO2 avoidance our kits provide».
Through the use of proprietary computational fluid dynamics analysis, ADL’s drag reduction kits reduce the amount of drag on the aircraft which results in a reduced fuel burn and lowered CO2 emissions.
«We’re excited by the demonstrated success and environmental benefits our relationship with Aero Design Labs brings», said WestJet’s Chief Operating Officer, Diederik Pen. «As innovation partners, we understand there’s still work to be done and as WestJet furthers our commitment to reducing CO2 emissions, we look forward to continuing our work with Aero Design Labs to validate data to determine further fleet implementation plans».
«This WestJet flight marks the second airline to operate with our drag reduction kit in place in as many weeks,» continued Chris Jones. «We will gather more data from these flights and continue to build on the momentum of airlines installing our kits and a further understanding of the reduced fuel burn and CO2 emissions our customers are achieving».
