“Shark in the sky!”: The first Austrian Airlines Boeing 777-200ER equipped with the innovative AeroSHARK surface technology has successfully completed its maiden flight. Last night, the long-haul aircraft with the registration OE-LPC took off with “sharkskin” for the first time as OS26 from Bangkok to Vienna, where it landed today at 5:00am local time. The OE-LPC is the first of a total of four B777-200ERs that Austrian Airlines will equip with the technology. The significantly reduced frictional resistance resulting from the film will reduce the Austrian Airlines long-haul fleet’s CO₂emissions and fuel consumption. The modification of the four aircraft will be completed by March 2025.

By applying a total of 830 square metres of Riblet film per aircraft on the surface of the fuselage and engine nacelles, a saving of around one percent of the total fuel consumption per flight can be achieved. Applied to four B777s, the technology can achieve savings of around 2,650 tonnes of fuel and over 8,300 tonnes of CO₂. This corresponds to around 46 flights from Vienna to New York.

“Reducing our CO₂ emissions in flight operations is at the centre of our sustainability efforts. The application of the ‘sharkskin’ developed by Lufthansa Technik is an important investment that will enable us to fly our long-haul aircraft more efficiently,” says Austrian COO Francesco Sciortino.

Austrian Airlines is the first airline to use this technology on the Boeing 777-200ER. To this end, Lufthansa Technik has obtained an extension of the existing certification for this aircraft type from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). “With this certification, the fleet-wide implementation of our sharkskin technology on 777-200ER aircraft can begin, supporting airlines worldwide to enhance operational efficiency and achieve their environmental goals,” says Harald Gloy, Chief Operating Officer of Lufthansa Technik. “

AeroSHARK is a surface technology jointly developed by Lufthansa Technik and BASF, which consists of transparent ribs around 50 micrometres in size – the so-called riblets. It imitates the properties of particularly aerodynamic sharkskin and thus optimises the aerodynamics in relevant areas of the aircraft.

The sharkskin technology is a further step along Austrian Airlines’ CO₂ reduction path. Together with the Lufthansa Group, Austrian aims to reduce its CO₂ emissions by 30.6% by 2030 compared to 2019.