Alaska has retired its last Boeing 737 jet without winglets, a rather rare breed. The Seattle-based airline is in the process of phasing out its remaining 737-900s.
N303AS was one of four 737-900s remaining in service at the airline. On Wednesday, this aircraft was ferried to a storage facility in Marana, Arizona.
First delivered to Alaska in 2001, this aircraft was never fitted with winglets and remained the only 737 in the airline’s fleet without them.
Now, Alaska has three 737-900s left in its fleet. It also has 78 737-900ERs in service, per Cirium Fleet Analyzer data.
Why Winglets
Airlines install winglets on Boeing 737 aircraft primarily to enhance fuel efficiency by reducing aerodynamic drag. Winglets are vertical or angled extensions at the wingtips that mitigate the formation of wingtip vortices.
By lessening these vortices, winglets decrease induced drag, enabling the aircraft to consume less fuel during flight. For instance, blended winglets can improve fuel efficiency by around 7% through lift-induced drag reduction achieved by moderating wingtip vortices.
For example, Ryanair’s retrofit of over 400 Boeing 737-800 aircraft with Split Scimitar Winglets is projected to reduce the airline’s annual fuel consumption by 65 million liters and carbon emissions by 165,000 tons.
Boeing’s 737 MAX aircraft are fitted with winglets from the factory. In 2012, Airbus debuted the first A320 with blended “Sharklets” in a move to boost efficiency.
Alaska’s 737-900s
Alaska became the launch customer for the 737-900 in 2001, which preceded the newer 737-900ER. At the time, it was the largest variant of Boeing’s best-selling aircraft type.
These 737-900s are a fairly rare aircraft type with only 33 in service around the world, according to Cirium’s data. The carrier is slated to phase out the remaining 737-900s this year.
There are nearly 80 737 NG aircraft without winglets currently in passenger service.
