Story ID: 
Jet Aviation Basel Completes BBJ Winglet Upgrade
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: The General Dynamics subsidiary is eager to do more of them.
Word Count: 179
Jet Aviation’s maintenance facility in Basel, Switzerland, has completed its first retrofit of split-scimitar winglets (SSW) on a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), the global aviation services provider announced yesterday. The project, completed under an EASA-approved supplemental type certificate, involved installing a new Aviation Partners scimitar-tipped ventral strake, reinforcing the internal wing and winglet structure, and replacing the existing winglet tips with new aerodynamically shaped scimitar tips. Currently installed on all factory-new Boeing 737 NG BBJs, the split-scimiter winglet is FAA and EASA approved forreetrofit on all in-service BBJs, BBJ2s and BBJ3s.

“We have been working closely with personnel from Aviation Partners to gain experience and proficiency with the SSW retrofit to ensure we meet customer requirements and the highest business aviation standards,” said Neil Boyce, Jet Aviation’s senior vice president and general operations manager at the Basel location. "We look forward to supporting more Boeing aircraft owners and operators with SSW retrofits in the future, whether in conjunction with routine maintenance, an interior refurbishment, a green completion or as a standalone installation.”