After ordering 20 Aviation Partners Boeing 757-200 Blended Winglet Systems in September 2005 -- of which eight are currently retrofitted and in service -- American Airlines has ordered an additional 104 shipsets.

All Blended Winglet installations will be accomplished by American Airlines employees in Tulsa, where the airline is also installing the winglets on all of its B-737-800 aircraft.

"With fuel prices as high as they are today it is impossible to ignore the compelling value of Blended Winglet Technology," says Aviation Partners Boeing CEO John Reimers. "We were quite pleased, earlier this year, when American Airlines made the decision to retrofit its entire fleet of 737-800s with our Visible Technology. This recent order for 104 additional 757-200 shipsets is a further testament to the value and productivity of Blended Winglet Technology."

Depending upon fleet utilization and average sector length, Aviation Partners Boeing says AA's Blended Winglet Equipped 757's can save up to 200,000 gallons of fuel per aircraft per year (a Continental Airlines 757 with the winglets is shown below).

The Tulsa, OK Maintenance & Engineering Base, where American is performing all retrofits of their 757-200 and 737-800 Blended Winglets, is also retrofitting Blended Winglets for several other operators. American Airlines has two additional major overhaul and maintenance bases located at Fort Worth, TX and in Kansas City, MO.

To date, Aviation Partners Boeing has sold over 2000 Blended Winglet shipsets with over 1200 Boeing aircraft now in service with the patented Performance Enhancing Blended Winglet Systems.

FMI: www.aviationpartnersboeing.com, www.aa.com