SHARKLETS: AN AERODYNAMIC CHANGE, NOT AN ENGINE GENERATION
The EADS2012 annual review records AirAsia receiving the first Sharklet-equipped A320 on 21 December 2012. The devices entered service on the existing engine generation before the neo reached airlines. A tall wingtip is therefore a poor shortcut for identifying the propulsion generation of an A320-family aircraft. [36, 21 December 2012 milestone]
For the pilot, a wingtip change belongs in the aircraft configuration and performance model. It should not become one fixed percentage reduction manually applied to every flight. Mission length, mass, conditions and calculation assumptions determine the result. The selected Fenix wingtip variant consequently travels with the dispatch and performance calculation; the visual distinction is only the beginning of the briefing. [21, Performance preparation and aircraft/configuration-specific data]