Aero Design Labs (ADL) has announced the first "revenue flight" with an aircraft using its drag reduction kit, with founder Lee Sanders onboard the Southwest Airlines' Dalla-El Paso connection.
"This is exciting news for our entire team at Aero Design Labs who have worked diligently over the last several years to bring this important innovation to fruition," said Jeff Martin, ADL president and chief executive.
The kit, ADL said, "is designed to reduce the amount of drag on the aircraft, resulting in reduced fuel burn rate and lower carbon intensity".
"As Southwest Airlines continues to seek opportunities to improve fuel efficiency, which reduces our carbon emissions intensity and helps us address our environmental footprint, we are partnering with ADL to test modifications to five of our 737-700s with the goal of reducing our fuel burn rate on a per aircraft basis," said Chris Monroe, Southwest's senior vice president of finance, treasury, and sustainability.