Sharkskin System Used to Reduce Drag of 777 Cargo Jets

All Nippon Airways and EVA Air are early adopters of fuel-saving technology.

Eric Kulisch

Wednesday, September 04, 2024 at 12:49 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Airframe repair specialists apply the AeroShark technology to an All Nippon Airways 777 freighter. [Lufthansa Technik/ANA]

Key Takeaways:

Freighter airlines are increasingly adopting AeroShark, a high-tech coating developed by Lufthansa Technik and BASF that mimics sharkskin, to reduce aerodynamic drag, fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.
The nearly invisible film, featuring microscopic riblets, is applied to aircraft fuselages and engine nacelles, reducing drag by about 1% and proving especially effective on cargo planes due to larger application areas.
Airlines like EVA Air, All Nippon Airways, and Lufthansa Cargo are retrofitting their Boeing 777 fleets with AeroShark, with projected annual savings of thousands of tons of jet fuel and CO2 once fleets are fully equipped.

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Freighter airlines are leading the way in fitting aircraft with a new high-tech coating that mimics the structure of a shark’s skin to reduce aerodynamic drag and fuel consumption.

EVA Air and All Nippon Airways recently became the first Asian carriers to equip Boeing 777 freighters with the friction-reducing AeroShark surface film, following the footsteps of Lufthansa Cargo and Swiss International Air Lines.