Lufthansa's Sharkskin Coating on Planes Reduces Tons of Emissions – Here's How it Works
Photo Credit: Aeroshark being installed on a LATAM aircraft Lufthansa Technik
Skift Take
Aeroshark is a small but promising step toward greener aviation, and its adoption by multiple airlines highlights a crucial reality - climate solutions gain traction when they also make financial sense for businesses.
A sharkskin inspired modification on aircraft has avoided thousands of metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the company behind the technology told Skift.
Lufthansa Technik, the maintenance arm of Lufthansa Group, developed Aeroshark, a special film that mimics the texture of sharkskin to improve airflow and reduce drag.
Although trial runs began in the late 2010s, commercial use only took off after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Since then, planes using Aeroshark have logged over 160,000 flight hours, saving 9,800 metric tons of fuel and 31,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions, Lufthansa Technik claims.
In its recent annual report, Lufthansa highlight
