Freighter airlines are pioneering the use of a new advanced coating that imitates shark skin to reduce drag and save fuel. EVA Air and All Nippon Airways are the first Asian airlines to install this AeroShark surface film on their Boeing 777 freighters, following Lufthansa Cargo and Swiss International Air Lines.
All Nippon Airways started flying its first 777 freighter with the special coating and aims to be the first airline to have both freighter and passenger versions of the 777 equipped with AeroShark by next spring.
AeroShark was developed by Lufthansa Technik, which provides maintenance services for aircraft, in collaboration with German company BASF. The coating is nearly invisible, weather-resistant, and easy to apply, created to help make air travel more environmentally friendly.
Aircraft surfaces at high altitudes face exposure to UV radiation, temperature changes, and pressure fluctuations that can affect their smoothness. The low-friction film used, known as riblets, consists of tiny bumps about 50 micrometers (0.002 inches) in size. These riblets mimic sharkskin’s hydrodynamic properties, helping air flow more smoothly over the plane during flight. Lufthansa, a subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, estimates this riblet film, applied to most of the fuselage and engine nacelles during regular maintenance, reduces drag by about 1%.
According to BASF, the sharkskin film works slightly better on cargo planes than on passenger aircraft, as it covers a larger area due to the absence of windows.
An All Nippon Airways contractor applied this film to one of the airline’s 777 freighters. The airline expects the film to save 275 tons of fuel and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 881 tons annually. ANA plans to monitor the technology’s performance in daily operations before deciding whether to extend its use to other 777 planes in the fleet.
Taiwan-based EVA Air has committed to equipping its entire fleet of nine 777 cargo planes with the low-friction sharkskin film by 2027, according to a recent announcement by Lufthansa Technik. The first plane was retrofitted by EVA Air’s partner, Evergreen Aviation Technologies, under careful supervision and is set to resume commercial service soon. Once all planes are modified, EVA Air expects to save over 2,750 tons of jet fuel and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 8,600 tons annually.
Lufthansa Cargo, which operates 18 Boeing 777 cargo planes, was the first to use the sharkskin technology in 2023. So far, five of its freighters have been fitted with the film, and the company plans to modify the rest of the fleet by 2027, according to spokesperson Jan Paulin. Lufthansa Cargo estimates that once fully implemented, the technology will save more than 4,400 tons of jet fuel annually, equivalent to around 53 cargo flights from Frankfurt, Germany, to Shanghai.
Swiss International Air Lines, part of the Lufthansa Group, completed fitting all 12 of its Boeing 777-300 extended-range passenger jets with AeroShark technology in May. The airline is considering using the film on other long-haul aircraft in its fleet, as mentioned in its May magazine. Meanwhile, Austrian Airlines, another Lufthansa subsidiary, announced last month that it will be the first to apply the sharkskin film to Boeing 777-200 extended-range passenger planes. Four of these aircraft will be fitted with the technology starting in December.
Currently, 19 aircraft around the world are equipped with the sharkskin technology.
Lufthansa Technik, responsible for applying the transparent film, says the process takes about a week. The company has approval to modify two types of Boeing 777 aircraft with the AeroShark coating and plans to seek certification for more aircraft types. It also aims to expand the application to larger areas, like the wings, to further reduce CO2 emissions.
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