Lufthansa certifies its Boeing 777 Sharkskin modification

Lufthansa Technik has received an STC for its AeroSHARK technology designed to reduce aircraft surface friction.

Lufthansa Technik has announced that its AeroSHARK riblet films have been approved for use on select Boeing 777 models. The aerodynamic films received a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The modifications to the aircraft skins will allow airplanes to pass through the air with less resistance, meaning that the airplane burns less fuel per flight which helps to cut costs and carbon emissions.

Equipment approval
The AeroSHARK riblet film is a material placed on the skin of an aircraft fuselage. The skins resemble shark skin, designed to pass through the air smoothly as a shark passes through water. The skins reduce fuel consumption by approximately 1% due to reduced surface friction. This, in turn, allows the aircraft to emit 1% fewer carbon emissions. While a 1% reduction in CO2 emissions may not sound like much, it adds up in the long run.

For example, if a single SWISS 777-300ER is equipped with the riblets, every year, it will save 400 tons of kerosene and over 1,200 tons of CO2. The smaller variant approved in the STC is the 777F. When applied to the 777F, the riblets will help save 370 tons of kerosene and 1,170 tons of carbon dioxide each year. Once fully implemented, it is estimated that the technology will reduce Lufthansa Group’s carbon footprint by over 25,000 tons per year.

Before the technology was approved, it underwent a thorough examination to ensure that it would not jeopardize flight safety. Lufthansa Technik has no intentions of stopping its AeroSHARK skin advancements any time soon. The company plans to further develop and implement the technology on other aircraft models.

Technological implementation
The technology will be implemented into the sub-fleets of Lufthansa Cargo and SWISS. The airlines plan to equip their sub-fleets of 777-300ERs and 777Fs with the new technology starting next month. A SWISS 777-300ER is already equipped with the skins. The aircraft was granted a temporary permit to fly from the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA). This aircraft has been flying since October and was used as a test plane for the recent tests that led to the STC approval. Now that the STC has been approved, the airlines may apply the technology to the 12 777-300ERs and 11 777Fs.

The CEO of Lufthansa Technik, Soeren Stark, shared how the technology will benefit operations and its plans for the program. Stark stated,

“The approval of AeroSHARK for the Boeing 777 variants is an important step in the distribution of this new technology for more sustainability in air transport,”With our partner BASF, we can now support our customers in making entire subfleets more climate-friendly. Moreover, we intend to realize the use of the new technology for further aircraft types. We are the only MRO company in the world to offer such solutions to reduce fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions for commercial aircraft. We are naturally very proud of this.” simpleflying.com