Fourth Lufthansa Cargo Freighter Equipped with AeroSHARK Technology

A fourth Lufthansa Cargo Boeing 777F with AeroSHARK technology has entered service this year.

What's AeroSHARK? AeroSHARK is a functional surface film that imitates the microscopic structure of shark skin. It reduces the aerodynamic drag on the fuselage and engine nacelles of the Boeing 777F, resulting in significant fuel and emissions savings.

Jointly developed by Lufthansa Technik and BASF, the technology is being applied to Lufthansa Cargo's entire fleet of 777 freighters. Lufthansa Technik expects fuel savings of about 1 percent. When calculated over Lufthansa Cargo's entire 777 fleet, more than 4,000 metric tons of kerosene per year will be saved and nearly 13,000 metric tons of CO₂emissions. This is based on about 53 cargo flights from Frankfurt to Shanghai.

“The special coating significantly reduces the frictional resistance of the aircraft. Together with the lightweight cargo equipment we already use today, this technology will enable us to save 5,493 tons of kerosene per year. This is an important step on our way to becoming 100 percent CO₂-neutral in the air by 2050,” said Ashwin Bhat, CEO of Lufthansa Cargo.

By 2027, all 777 Freighters will be coated with AeroSHARK and the entire 777 fleet will be integrated into Lufthansa Cargo's global network of scheduled services. Modification of the next aircraft will begin in August 2024 during the regular maintenance layovers.