National Airways Corporation Becomes Authorized Installer for Hawker 800 Series Blended Winglets

Sept. 30, 2008
A Blended Winglet Enhanced 800SP or 800XP2 will fly 30 minutes longer, 180 nm farther and 18-knots faster compared to a standard Hawker 800 or 800XP.

Aviation Partners, Inc. (API) has named National Airways Corporation (NAC) in Lanseria, South Africa as the first authorized Blended Winglet installer outside North America.

“We selected NAC because of their reputation for very high quality work, their strategic location and the fact that they are a master dealer for Hawker Beechcraft Corporation,” says Aviation Partners Vice President of Sales Gary Dunn. “we anticipate a significant growth in Hawker Blended Winglets sales in Africa due to NAC’s strong relationships throughout the region.”

A Hawker 800 or 800XP equipped with Blended Winglets is one of the best investments an operator can make in today’s market in terms of both performance improvement and return on investment. A Blended Winglet Enhanced 800SP or 800XP2 will fly 30 minutes longer, 180 nm farther and 18-knots faster compared to a standard Hawker 800 or 800XP. It also benefits from up to 1,500 lb improvement in second segment climb. In African operations this equates to a significant improvement in non-stop dispatch between Johannesburg and Lagos. There are currently three Hawker 800 series aircraft flying Blended Winglets in Africa, including the first installation completed recently by NAC for an 800XP customer in Benin [photo attached].

“It’s a wonderful accolade for our company to be recognized by Aviation Partners as a quality service center and a preferred installation center for Blended winglet Technology,” says NAC CEO Martin Banner,”We’re very pleased to be associated with Aviation Partners Blended Winglet program and we look forward to helping our Hawker customers dramatically improve the performance of their aircraft with this very innovative technology.”

Aviation Partners will be at the NBAA Conventions booth #2218.

Aviation Partners, Inc.

Aviation Partners, Inc. (www.aviationpartners.com) and Aviation Partners Boeing (www.aviationpartnersboeing.com), based in Seattle, USA, are the leaders in advanced winglet technology. Blended Winglets are certified or in development for a number of Boeing, Dassault, Gulfstream and Hawker airframes. More than 2,500 commercial and business aircraft have been upgraded to date, with orders for approximately 1,200 more.

National Airways Corporation

National Airways Corporation (www.nac.co.za) was established in 1946, offering one of South Africa's first air charter services. Over the years the company has spread its wings, becoming the largest general aviation company in Africa and one of the largest of its kind in the world. NAC Offers a full range of aviation services and products to the fixed wing and helicopter markets, specializing in aircraft sales, aircraft maintenance, avionics, parts, charter, flight operations and pilot training.