Austrian Airlines has successfully completed its maiden flight with a Boeing 777-200ER equipped with AeroSHARK surface technology, a biomimicry-inspired coating that reduces frictional resistance and fuel consumption. The technology, developed by Lufthansa Technik and BASF, mimics the properties of sharkskin and has already been adopted by other airlines, including LATAM, EVA Air, and All Nippon Airways. The coating has been shown to reduce fuel consumption by approximately 1% per flight, resulting in significant CO2 emissions savings.
The technology is expected to be used on 17 Lufthansa Group aircraft, with plans to coat four more Boeing 777-200ERs with AeroSHARK by March 2025. The coating has already accumulated over 100,000 flight hours and has shown positive results in reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
Biomimicry, the study of natural design, has also been used by Airbus to improve the efficiency of its plane designs. The company has developed innovations such as “sharklets” and lightweight galley partitions that mimic properties of nature, resulting in significant CO2 emissions savings.