Kloten ZH – Swiss International Air Lines (Swiss) has equipped its twelve Boeing 777-300ERs with AeroSHARK technology. A film on the fuselage and engines imitates the properties of sharkskin, thus reducing CO2 emissions. Other aircraft types are to follow.
In October 2022, Swiss equipped its first Boeing 777-300ER with the AeroSHARK technology developed by Lufthansa Technik together with BASF. At the beginning of May, the twelfth and last aircraft in the fleet of Swiss' long-haul flagship was wrapped with the CO2-emission-avoiding film, the airline announced in a press release. The transparent film attached to the fuselage and engine nacelles imitates the properties of sharkskin with micrometer-deep grooves, thus reducing frictional resistance.
According to the press release, the only partially equipped fleet has already saved over 2,000 tons of kerosene and avoided around 7,100 tons of CO2 emissions in the past year thanks to the approximately one percent reduction in frictional resistance during the flight. "We are very satisfied with the results so far and proud to be the first airline in the world to equip an entire fleet with AeroSHARK," says Claus Bauer, Head of Technology at Swiss. Applying the film requires the utmost precision and takes around a week per aircraft. "I am delighted that this commitment is paying off and that we have been able to make our flight operations even more sustainable," says Bauer. The airline is examining whether further aircraft types in its long-haul fleet can be equipped with AeroSHARK technology in the medium term. ce/hs