Cancun (Mexico), Apr 11 (IANS/EFE): Mexican discount carrier Volaris has started operating the first of 50 Airbus A320s equipped with wing tip fuel saving devices, known as "sharklets", which will allow it to reduce fuel use by up to four percent.

Volaris, the first Mexican carrier to have planes outfitted with sharklets in its fleet, marked the delivery of the first A320 with the environmentally friendly devices with a special flight Tuesday from Mexico City to the Caribbean resort city of Cancun.

The ambassadors from Germany, Spain, France and Britain, as well as Volaris and Airbus executives, were on the flight.

"This device is an option within our options catalog and the technology can yield savings of about $300,000 per plane per year in terms of fuel consumption," Airbus vice president for Latin American and Caribbean sales Arturo Barreira said.

Sharklets can keep about 1,000 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere annually, Barreira said.