Improved Tow plane performance...

Distinctive modifications to the wings of Air New Zealand's fleet of Boeing 767-300ER jets are providing fuel savings 19 percent greater than expected. Four of the five planes, used on Tasman and South Pacific routes, have been fitted with the 3.4 metre high blended winglets since July. The fifth aircraft will return to service next month after the $4 million refit in Hong Kong. The winglets were expected to improve fuel burn by 4 percent by reducing wing tip drag and increasing lift, allowing the plane to climb to cruise altitude faster. The fleet had been forecast to save a total of six million litres of fuel a year. Air New Zealand spent $1.7 billion on fuel in the last financial year, its biggest single cost, chief executive Rob Fyfe said.