Sharkskin for aircraft: AeroShark technology certified

A special surface structure of microscopic ribs reduces the frictional resistance of the aircraft skin, thus helping to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. A supplemental type certificate (STC) now paves the way for series conversion.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has granted Lufthansa Technik a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC), which now officially paves the way for the series conversion of two Boeing 777 variants with the fuel-saving AeroShark Riblet films. The STC means that the roll-out of this sustainability technology, jointly developed by Lufthansa Technik and BASF, can now begin on the 777 fleets of launch customers Lufthansa Cargo and Swiss International Air Lines (Swiss). The next retrofits in Frankfurt and Zurich are already scheduled for January.

Thanks to its special surface structure of microscopic ribs - so-called riblets - AeroSHARK reduces the frictional resistance of the aircraft skin. This reduces fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by around one percent. For each Boeing 777-300ER operated by Swiss, this means annual savings of around 400 metric tons of kerosene and more than 1,200 metric tons of carbon dioxide. Lufthansa Cargo's slightly shorter Boeing 777F saves around 370 tons of fuel and 1,170 tons of CO2 per year.

A first AeroShark-equipped Boeing 777-300ER of the Swiss airline (HB-JNH), which also completed the flight test program for the certification now received, had already started daily operations in October with a temporary "Permit-to-Fly" from the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) valid only for this one aircraft. The STC issued by EASA now allows Lufthansa Technik to apply the nature-inspired Riblet films in series production on 777-300ER and 777F aircraft.

The AeroShark modification of the HB-JNH already started at the end of August and culminated in so-called STC flights with EASA on September 8 and 9. During these flights, detailed proof had to be provided that the AeroShark modification had no negative impact on the operational safety and handling of the Boeing 777. The STC flights were followed by several weeks of evaluation of the collected data and other documents, such as results from flow simulations. After EASA recently completed its review of all submitted documents, it finally granted the STC.

"The approval of AeroShark for the Boeing 777 variants is an important step in the dissemination of this new technology for more sustainability in air transport," said Sören Stark, CEO of Lufthansa Technik. "With our partner BASF, we can now support our customers in making not only individual aircraft but entire sub-fleets more climate-friendly. Together, we want to realize the use of the new technology for other aircraft types as well. We are the only maintenance company in the world that offers its customers such solutions to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for commercial aircraft. We are naturally very proud of this."

"The realization of such a project is only possible through partnership and great trust in each other's expertise. Together, we have succeeded in developing a tailor-made solution that combines economic action and sustainability in equal measure," explains Dr. Uta Holzenkamp, head of BASF's Coatings division and also responsible for functional films in this function. "With the Novaflex Sharkskin functional film, we are helping our customers to achieve their individual sustainability goals and thus make aviation measurably more environmentally friendly."

Swiss and Lufthansa Cargo will successively equip all twelve 777-300ERs and eleven 777Fs with AeroShark. They are thus the first passenger and cargo airlines worldwide to optimize a complete sub-fleet with the Riblet films. Once all Boeing 777s operated by Lufthansa Cargo and SWISS have been retrofitted with AeroShark, they will reduce the Lufthansa Group's carbon footprint by more than 25,000 metric tons annually.

Lufthansa Technik and BASF also intend to systematically develop AeroShark further for other aircraft types and larger areas in order to help airlines around the world achieve their emissions targets. In initial model calculations, the sharkskin technology in its maximum expansion stage could even avoid CO2 emissions in the order of up to three percent. (OM-1/23)