The South American airline decided to equip 5 of its B777 aircraft with AeroSHARK foils. This results in annual savings of up to 2,000 metric tons of jet fuel and 6,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. LATAM is the first Latin American carrier to adopt this innovative, cost and CO2 saving technology.
The retrofit decision now taken by the LATAM management, was preceded by a one-and-a-half-year-long trial phase with a Boeing 777 that had been fitted with shark skin foils. Extracted data proved that kerosene consumption was reduced by around one percent thanks to the low air resistance of the aircraft’s outer skin.
CO2 savings correspond to 28 flights
One percentage point doesn’t sound like much at first, but every step towards reducing CO2 emissions in aviation is a sensible and climate-friendly measure, mostly enabled by technological progress. Yet it should be coupled with political decisions like the introduction of a single sky scheme in Europe, and the optimization of flight routes, preventing fuel-consuming zigzag flight paths. This has long been demanded by IATA, TIACA and most airlines.
Based on the trial phase of LATAM’s B777, the savings in greenhouse gases correspond to around 28 flights from Sao Paulo to Miami, 6,566 km apart by aerial distance.
AeroSHARK technology was developed jointly by Lufthansa Technik and the chemical company, BASF. The first user was Lufthansa Cargo, whose B777 freighter fleet is successively being covered with the foil during maintenance intervals.
The AeroSHARK decision makes LATAM a pioneer in America
Prior to Lufthansa Cargo and LATAM, Taiwanese carrier, EVA Air Cargo decided to equip its entire fleet of nine B777F with the drag-reducing AeroSHARK surface technology. The Asian airline’s first modified B777F has been operating since April. It was followed by Japanese carrier ANA, whose first B777F was covered with the film at the beginning of September. Further freighters and passenger aircraft in the company’s fleet are to follow, ANA states in a release.
Hence, LATAM is the third airline to opt for the innovative AeroSHARK technology for its Triple Seven passenger aircraft. It had already phased out its B777 freighters years ago in favor of B767Fs. “Our fleet modernization strategy is a cornerstone of our commitment to sustainability and our vision to reach net zero by 2050. We remain focused on innovation and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, ensuring that our fleet evolves in line with our environmental goals,” said Sebastián Acuto, Director of Fleet and Projects at LATAM Airlines Group.
The foil project is about to expand
Robin Johansson, Lufthansa Technik Senior Sales Director, Latin America and the Caribbean, said, “LATAM’s decision confirms once again: AeroSHARK works. This further encourages us to use our engineering skills and innovative strength to contribute to aviation with lower CO₂ emissions. We look forward to collaborating with more customers globally and applying our fuel-saving sharkskin technology to even more aircraft,” Mr. Johansson concluded.
In DEC22, Lufthansa Technik obtained the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), for the application of AeroSHARK on Boeing 777 aircraft. The company is working on applying the foil to larger areas of the B777-300ER and B777F, and extending the project further by including other aircraft models.
