WestJet debuted new technology this week to reduce drag on its aircraft, thereby saving fuel and reducing carbon emissions. The Calgary-based carrier is the first in Canada and second in the world to use the drag reduction kit.

Developer Aero Design Labs (ADL) said the WestJet flight on Tuesday, which operated from Calgary to Toronto, was the first revenue flight in Canada to use its proprietary technology.

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

“WestJet and their teams who were pivotal in the testing and ultimate certification of our drag reduction kit,” said Aero Design Labs’ COO Chris Jones, who added that the flight’s reduced fuel burn and increased CO2 avoidance would be validated post flight.

“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,” commented WestJet’s COO Diederik Pen.

“This WestJet flight marks the second airline to operate with our drag reduction kit in place in as many weeks,” continued Chris Jones. “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.”