The world’s first Boeing 777-200ER equipped with the innovative AeroSHARK technology by Lufthansa Technik and BASF has taken to the skies with Austrian Airlines. The film coating reduces drag, thereby lowering fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
On Tuesday (January 14, 2024), Austrian Airlines announced that one of their Boeing 777-200ERs has taken flight with the innovative AeroSHARK surface technology by Lufthansa Technik and BASF. The departure of Austrian Airlines’ flight OS26 from Bangkok to Vienna, a Boeing 777-200ER, registration OE-LPC, on Monday (January 13th), marked the first time the aircraft type was operated with the innovation. This is the first of four B777-200ERs that Austrian Airlines will equip with the AeroSHARK technology, with all four aircraft scheduled to be modified by March 2025.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Austrian Airlines’ COO, Francesco Sciortino, said,
“Reducing our CO2 emissions in flight operations is at the centre of our sustainability efforts. The application of the ‘sharkskin’ developed by Lufthansa Technik is an important investment that will enable us to fly our long-haul aircraft more efficiently.”
With the application of 830 square meters of the AeroSHARK riblet film on the fuselage and engine nacelles, the reduced drag will save around around one percent of fuel consumption and emissions per flight. Across four B777s, the technology can achieve savings of around 2,650 tonnes of fuel and over 8,300 tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of approximately 46 flights from Vienna to New York.
Lufthansa Technik has obtained an extension of the existing certification for the Boeing 777-200ER from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Also commenting on the further rollout of AeroSHARK technology, Lufthansa Technik’s Chief Operating officer, Harald Glov, said,
“With this certification, the fleet-wide implementation of our sharkskin technology on 777-200ER aircraft can begin, supporting airlines worldwide to enhance operational efficiency and achieve their environmental goals.”
Jointly developed by Lufthansa Technik and BASF, AeroSHARK is a surface technology that consists of transparent riblets around 50 micrometers in size, which imitates the aerodynamic properties of sharkskin, thereby optimizing the aircraft’s aerodynamics. This is just the latest step in Austrian Airlines’ CO2 reduction path, which aims to reduce emissions by 30.6 percent by 2030 compared to 2019.
Source: Austrian Airlines