Winglet Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
Winglet and wingtip device patents: mapping who owns the claim space and where it's still open
Concentrated at the top. Five assignees hold 1,044 of 2,143 records in scope (48.7%), with the leader alone at 516 — this is not a fragmented field. Filings rose from 178 in 2017 to a peak of 186 in 2018, then settled into a steadier range; the 2021-2024 window is essentially flat at -1% (77 to 76). Counts for 2025 and 2026 look lower only because publication trails filing by roughly 18 months — treat the most recent two years as incomplete, not as a downturn.
- 1AIRBUS OPERATIONS LTD24.1%
- 2THE BOEING CO7.6%
- 3JETZERO INC6.3%
- 4AIRBUS OPERATIONS GMBH5.7%
- 5AVIATION PARTNERS INC5.1%
See the full winglet and wingtip device design analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions on winglet and wingtip patents
Who holds the most patents on winglet and wingtip device design?
The dataset shows a clear leader with 516 of the 2,143 records in scope, well ahead of the next four assignees combined with the top five totalling 1,044 records (48.7% of the field). Fifth place sits at 109 records and tenth place at just 34, so coverage drops off sharply after the top few names. This concentration means a freedom-to-operate check should start with the largest portfolios rather than a broad, unweighted search.
Is winglet patent filing activity still growing?
Filing activity peaked in 2018 at 186 records and has since settled rather than continued climbing; the most reliable recent comparison, 2021 to 2024, shows filings essentially flat at -1% (77 to 76). Figures for 2025 and 2026 appear lower but should not be read as a real decline, because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months and those years are still filling in. The honest read is a mature, steady field rather than a growing or shrinking one.
Are winglet patents only relevant to aircraft manufacturers?
No. While 79.2% of the 2,143 records fall under B64C (aeroplanes & helicopters), wind turbine applications under F03D account for 8.7% of records and drone-specific claims under B64U reach 6.6%. Wingtip vortex and load-alleviation concepts developed for aircraft wings are being adapted to wind turbine blades and unmanned aircraft, so a wind-energy or drone company can infringe or be blocked by aerospace-originated claims and vice versa.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Winglet and Wingtip Device Design covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.