Hand Solo,
Without boring everybody with a lesson in noise certification......
On any aircraft a winglet of this design equates to a certain amount of wing area. I think the majority of us know this.
When you remove the winglet you are removing wing area thus reducing lift. You also create an asymmetrical condition. Both of these would require an increase in thrust on approach. You also will not climb as good on takeoff. The 20,000 lbs penalty on takeoff is just one indicator of the level of performance reduction caused by dispatch minus the winglet. The worse the low speed performance, the higher the noise levels.
If the operation is being conducted in the USA or Canada this is no big problem as the operator can operate out of compliance with the configuration of the noise certification for 90 days. The EU, however, does not make allowance for 90 days or any period of time for that matter.
Now having said that, it would have been a real cheap shot to have it become an issue for them on this topic.
