SunExpress Further Reduces its Carbon Footprint as VCT's European Launch Customer of Finlets for its 737-800 Aircraft

SunExpress will decrease its carbon footprint by 6 million kilograms of CO2 annually

ANTALYA, Türkiye and SEATTLE, July 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- SunExpress, a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, and Vortex Control Technologies (VCT) announced SunExpress as its European launch customer for VCT's proven Finlet technology which will reduce SunExpress's carbon footprint for its Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft. VCT Finlets are a patented array of small "fins" strategically placed on the aircraft's aft fuselage which modify airflow and reduce drag, which in turn decreases fuel consumption and carbon emissions while enhancing an aircraft's range, climb performance and endurance.

VCT Finlets have so far been implemented on five of SunExpress's 737-800 aircraft in phase one of the program and have been in service since May of this year. During phase two, up to twenty-five additional 737-800 aircraft are planned to be equipped with VCT Finlets, translating to annual savings of half million gallons of fuel, and preventing nearly 6 million kilograms (13 million pounds) of carbon emissions from being released into the atmosphere.

SunExpress Chief Operations Officer Cemil Sayar commented that "Our commitment to operational efficiency and sustainability encompasses every facet of our operations. This technology enables us to reduce fuel consumption while boosting overall performance, thereby extending an aircraft's range, improving performance, and enhancing endurance. Our partnership with VCT underscores our dedication to being environmentally responsible through operational efficiency and sustainability initiatives that contributes to lowering our carbon footprint."

"The certification of Finlets on the 737-700, 800 and 900ER is the culmination of over a decade long design effort involving wind tunnel testing, computational fluid dynamics, and comprehensive U.S. Air Force and FAA flight tests on the C-130, C-17 and 737NG aircraft," said VCT's Chief Executive Officer, Gil Morgan. "SunExpress is our first European partner in this endeavor, and we look forward to helping them achieve their operational and sustainability goals."

About SunExpress

Established in 1989 as a joint venture of Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, SunExpress acts as a tourism ambassador between Türkiye and Europe with over 30 years of experience and leisure airline expertise. SunExpress flies more than 175 routes to 30 countries and carries more than 11 million passengers every year. With its headquarters in Antalya and Frankfurt and bases in Izmir and Ankara, SunExpress has more than 3,500 employees and a fleet of 66 aircraft. SunExpress was named the 'Best Leisure Airline in Europe' in the latest global survey by Skytrax. You may find detailed information about SunExpress at www.sunexpress.com. 

About Vortex Control Technologies

VCT develops sustainable aviation solutions to achieve carbon neutrality for today's commercial & military aircraft. Through a combination of analytical and empirical methods involving proprietary software, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), wind tunnel and flight test data, VCT's proven professionals have successfully developed patented technologies that make aircraft more efficient. To date, VCT has saved more than 3.8M gallons of fuel and has prevented over 81M pounds of carbon emissions from entering our atmosphere. To learn more about VCT and Finlets, please visit www.vcteco.com. 

SOURCE Vortex Control Technologies