Monday, August 19, 2024 Beginning in December 2024, Austrian Airlines will become the first airline in the world to outfit their Boeing 777-200ER aircraft with cutting-edge “AeroSHARK” surface technology. This innovative “sharkskin” film, developed by Lufthansa Technik in collaboration with BASF, will be applied to the fuselage and engine nacelles of four Boeing 777-200ERs. The film’s ability to significantly reduce frictional resistance will help decrease CO2 emissions and fuel consumption across Austrian Airlines’ long-haul fleet.
Reduction of Over 8,000 Tons of CO2 Each aircraft will be covered with approximately 830 square meters of Riblet film, applied to both the fuselage and engine nacelles. This technology is expected to lower total fuel consumption per flight by around one percent. When used on four B777s, this can result in savings of roughly 2,650 tons of fuel and over 8,300 tons of CO2, which is equivalent to about 46 flights from Vienna to New York.
“We take our responsibility seriously and take every possible step to reduce CO 2 emissions within our flight operations. At one percent, the sharkskin’s efficiency potential may not sound like much, but in total it will save thousands of tons of CO 2 per year on long-haul flights,” says Austrian COO Francesco Sciortino . “Even though our B777s are in their final years of service, we take this investment to get one step closer to our CO 2 reduction targets.
” “The fact that we are rolling out the fuel-saving sharkskin technology on another aircraft type with Austrian Airlines is also good news for other Boeing 777-200ER operators,” emphasizes Harald Gloy , COO at Lufthansa Technik. “These are the first of hopefully many more aircraft of this type that will have lower fuel consumption and an improved carbon footprint thanks to AeroSHARK.” AeroSHARK is a surface technology co-developed by Lufthansa Technik and BASF, featuring transparent riblets approximately 50 micrometers in size.
These riblets mimic the highly aerodynamic properties of sharkskin, enhancing the aerodynamics of key areas on the aircraft. Starting in December 2024, Austrian Airlines will begin gradually outfitting four of its six Boeing 777-200ER long-haul aircraft with this surface technology. The installation on all four aircraft is expected to be completed by March 2025.
This sharkskin technology represents a significant step in Austrian Airlines’ commitment to reducing CO2 emissions. Along with the Lufthansa Group, Austrian Airlines aims to lower its CO2 emissions by 30.6% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels.
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