Breakthrough in aviation? Lufthansa Technik and the chemical company BASF have developed a new technology that is intended to make flying more environmentally friendly. The so-called Aeroshark technology is based on a film that is intended to reduce fuel consumption – and is based on the structure of shark skin.
Lufthansa Technik and the chemical company BASF have developed a technology that makes flying more environmentally friendly. Lufthansa’s so-called Aeroshark technology is based on a film that is modeled on the structure of shark skin. This film is applied to aircraft and reduces air resistance, which lowers fuel consumption. A breakthrough for aviation that not only reduces costs but also significantly reduces CO2 emissions, says Lufthansa.
The Aeroshark film consists of tiny ribs, known as riblets, which are only 50 micrometers in size. These ensure that the air flow is directed more efficiently around the aircraft. This saves several thousand liters of kerosene per aircraft type. A major advantage: the films are extremely durable and can be easily applied to the surfaces of various aircraft types.
The Swiss tested it first
The Swiss airline Swiss was the first passenger airline to use Aeroshark. In 2022, the technology was applied to a Boeing 777. The riblet film was applied to a total of 950 square meters of the aircraft’s surface. The result: fuel consumption fell by around 1.1 percent, saving over 4,800 tons of kerosene annually. In addition, 15,200 tons of CO2 emissions were avoided – this corresponds to the emissions of 87 long-haul flights from Zurich to Mumbai.
Lufthansa Cargo also began using the Aeroshark foil on its Boeing 777 freight aircraft in February 2023. Here, too, there is clear savings potential: over 4,000 tons of kerosene and almost 13,000 tons of CO2 can be saved annually.
Lufthansa wants to convert its fleet
Lufthansa Technik has already announced that it will expand Aeroshark technology to other aircraft types. This change is expected to result in even greater savings in the future, both in terms of operating costs and emissions. From winter 2024, Aeroshark will also be introduced at Austrian Airlines, which will equip four of its Boeing 777-200ERs with the technology. In four years, these aircraft are expected to save a total of 2,650 tons of fuel and over 8,300 tons of CO2.
Francesco Sciortino, Chief Operating Officer at Austrian Airlines, emphasized: “Every saving, no matter how small, helps to reduce our emissions in the long term.” This shows that the technology, which at first glance promises small efficiency gains, has a big effect in the long term – especially on long-haul flights that consume a lot of kerosene.
A total of 17 Lufthansa Group aircraft have already been equipped with Aeroshark, including Boeing 747-400 and 777-300ER from SWISS and four Boeing 777 freighters from Lufthansa Cargo. According to the company, the number of these modified aircraft will continue to grow.
By Moritz Schmidt
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