A WestJet 737-700 aircraft operating from Calgary to Toronto on March 20, 2023 was the first revenue flight in Canada to fly with Aero Design Labs’ (ADL) proprietary drag reduction kit, which reduces fuel burn and lowers CO2 emissions.

As part of the testing and certification process, WestJet was the first airline in the world to install and operate and operate with an ADL drag reduction kit on its aircraft. This milestone follows the Transport Canada issuance of a Supplemental Type Certificate for the company’s drag reduction kit for installation on the Boeing 737-700 aircraft in December 2022.

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 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.

“We’re excited by the demonstrated success and environmental benefits our relationship with Aero Design Labs brings,” said Diederik Pen, COO, WestJet. “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.”

Jones added that the WestJet flight marked the second airline to operate with ADL’s drag reduction kit in recent weeks. “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.”