All Nippon Airways' (ANA) first 777 freighter equipped with Lufthansa Technik’s and BASF’s jointly developed AeroSHARK technology to reduce drag and emissions has begun operations.
The first modified Boeing 777F (JA771F) began scheduled cargo flights on September 2. ANA also has plans to extend the AeroSHARK technology to a passenger 777-300(ER) (JA796A) by the first quarter of next year .
The AeroSHARK surface "riblet" film (featuring ribs around 50 micrometers in size) covers the aircraft’s fuselage and engine nacelles to reduce drag, save fuel and reduce emissions. The surface film is inspired by the drag-reducing structure of sharkskin.
If several hundred square meters of the fuselage and engine nacelles are covered with this, the frictional resistance of the aircraft is reduced so that fuel consumption and the resulting emissions are reduced by around 1%, according to Lufthansa Technik.
Closely guided by Lufthansa Technik, ANA's MRO partner has recently applied several hundreds of square meters of the film to the fuselage of JA771F, which re-entered commercial service with a flight from Tokyo-Narita to Chicago-O'Hare.
The contracted Boeing 777F and 777-300ER aircraft will have nearly the entire fuselage covered with the film, resulting in estimated annual savings of approximately 250 metric tons of fuel and 800 metric tons of CO2 for each aircraft, explained ANA.
"The introduction of AeroSHARK technology on our Boeing 777 aircraft marks a significant milestone in our sustainability strategy, in support of our broader goal of reducing carbon emissions across our fleet," said Kohei Tsuji, executive vice president, engineering and maintenance center at ANA.
"We are proud to be the first airline in the world to implement this innovative technology to both passenger and freighter version of the Boeing 777, reinforcing our dedication to delivering excellence and reducing our carbon footprint."
ANA has further plans to expand the use of AeroSHARK film across other aircraft of the same type. This initiative is part of the ANA Group's medium- to long-term environmental strategy.
Dennis Kohr, senior vice president corporate sales Asia Pacific at Lufthansa Technik, said: "We are delighted to extend our long-lasting and fruitful cooperation with All Nippon Airways onto a proven solution to reduce their carbon footprint."
Taipei-based EVA Air also recently announced its plans to modify its fleet of nine 777Fs with AeroSHARK film.
Lufthansa Technik currently holds Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) for the AeroSHARK modification of two types of Boeing 777.
Besides EVA Air’s first sharkskin-equipped freighter, a double-digit number of aircraft, including Lufthansa, is already in worldwide service with AeroSHARK. EVA Air’s entire 777 fleet is expected to be equipped until 2027.
According to Lufthansa Technik’s and BASF’s initial model calculations, the sharkskin technology could “avoid CO2 emissions of up to three percent in its maximum expansion stage”.
