CS-TMW - TAP Air Portugal - Airbus A320 - Sharklet Retrofit
CS-TMW: The A320 that brought Sharklets to Europe’s retrofit scene
Some aircraft become famous for where they fly. Others earn their place in aviation history because of what’s been done to them. TAP Air Portugal’s Airbus A320 registered CS-TMW is firmly in the second category: it was the first A320 in Europe to be retrofitted with Airbus “Sharklets”, a landmark modification that proved how much efficiency could be unlocked from an in-service, next-flight-ready airframe.
For Aircrafttag, these stories matter. They’re the moments where engineering, operational pressure, and the push for smarter flying all intersect—turning a working aircraft into a milestone.
Sharklets: small surfaces, big impact
Sharklets are Airbus wingtip devices designed to reduce lift-induced drag by effectively increasing the wing’s span and improving aerodynamic efficiency. In simple terms: the aircraft gets more lift for less drag, which translates into lower fuel burn, better climb performance, and often extra range or payload flexibility.
For operators, the headline is compelling: up to about 4% reduction in fuel costs on eligible A320 Family aircraft after Sharklet retrofit.
In a world of thin margins and tight schedules, 4% isn’t a footnote—it’s a strategy.
The 2016 retrofit: a major engineering job in Lisbon
What made CS-TMW special wasn’t only the hardware bolted onto the wingtips. It was the work behind it.
In 2016, TAP completed the Sharklet installation on CS-TMW (named “Luísa Todi”) at its maintenance and engineering facilities in Lisbon—becoming the first European airline to modify its medium-haul fleet with Sharklets, starting with this aircraft. (
Calling it “a winglet swap” doesn’t do it justice. Retrofitting Sharklets is a structural and systems project that reaches deep into the wing. As part of the modification, the wing structure must be reinforced to handle the different loads introduced by the larger wingtip device. That means significant work at the wingtip and internal structural areas—precision changes that have to meet strict certification standards, then perform day after day in real airline service.
It’s the kind of upgrade that highlights what world-class MRO (maintenance, repair, overhaul) capability looks like: advanced planning, structural expertise, quality control, and the discipline to return the aircraft to service with everything signed off and ready for the next rotation.
And then—just like that—CS-TMW went back to doing what airliners do best: quietly delivering value on every flight, now with a little less fuel flowing through the engines.
A320: the aircraft that rewrote the short-haul rulebook
To understand why this retrofit mattered, it helps to remember what the A320 represents.
The A320 became a true industry benchmark not only because it was efficient and versatile, but because it introduced technologies that became the new normal—most famously full digital fly-by-wire flight controls and a cockpit philosophy that shaped generations of Airbus aircraft. Airbus notes the A320 was first delivered in 1988, and it set a new standard for cockpit design and handling.
The result is a platform that airlines love for its flexibility: dense shuttle routes, thinner business markets, leisure peaks, and everything in between. It’s also why upgrades like Sharklets are so powerful—when an aircraft family is this widely used, even incremental improvements scale into huge operational and environmental gains.
A little TAP history: Portugal’s flag carrier with a global footprint
TAP’s story begins well before Sharklets, and it’s a story deeply tied to Portugal’s place between continents.
The airline was founded in March 1945 as Transportes Aéreos Portugueses, and began commercial services in September 1946 with its inaugural Lisbon–Madrid flight.
From there, TAP expanded routes and capability steadily, building a network that today is widely associated with connecting Europe to Portuguese-speaking destinations—especially in Brazil and across the Atlantic.
That long arc matters, because it reflects a consistent theme: adapting. Fleet changes, route shifts, new competitive realities—TAP has repeatedly evolved. The CS-TMW Sharklet retrofit fits right into that tradition: a practical, engineering-led step that improved efficiency and reduced emissions without waiting for a brand-new fleet to arrive.
From milestone to memento
Aircraft like CS-TMW are more than registrations in a database. They’re chapters in a bigger story: how airlines squeeze more performance from proven airframes, how maintenance teams turn ambitious upgrades into certified reality, and how aviation keeps moving forward one percent at a time—until it adds up.
If your Aircrafttag comes from an aircraft with a story like this, you’re not just holding aviation material. You’re holding a piece of an engineering moment: the first European A320 Sharklet retrofit, a 2016 Lisbon modification program, and a reminder that progress isn’t always a new airplane—it’s often a smarter one.