Airbus Airplanes Get "Shark Skin"

Sharks not only have sharp teeth, but also a unique skin. This makes them swift predators of the seas and a model for technology. Following the first Boeing jets, Airbus aircraft are now also set to fly with artificial shark skin. The world’s first “AeroSHARK” installation on an Airbus A330 is currently being carried out at Elbe Flugzeugwerke in Dresden. The test aircraft belongs to Discover Airlines, Lufthansa’s vacation carrier.

“AeroSHARK” is a technology that uses an ultra-thin film to mimic the benefits of shark skin. Scientists have known about these advantages since the 1970s. Shark skin is covered with tiny scales that act as microstructures to reduce drag and increase flow efficiency, explains the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Applied Materials Research.

Microscopic grooves on shark skin

Microscopic, parallel grooves run along the surface of the skin, breaking up water turbulence and effectively guiding the water past the body, thereby reducing frictional drag. It also keeps dirt and parasites at bay.

The AeroSHARK riblet technology developed by Lufthansa Technik AG and Surventis (formerly BASF Coatings) also takes advantage of these benefits. The film of the same name is designed to lower drag and reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The process is currently certified for several variants of the Boeing 777. The Airbus A330, the second-most-commonly delivered aircraft model for long-haul flights, is set to follow.

In the future, wings and tail surfaces will also be covered with film

According to Lufthansa Technik AG, there are plans to expand the application to additional models and other aircraft surfaces. So far, the films have only been applied to the fuselage and engine cowlings, but the wings and tail are also a focus. “They are the aircraft’s most important lift-generating surfaces. That means we’re making a significant impact on the aerodynamics,” explains Soenke Burger, who is responsible for “AeroSHARK” development at Lufthansa Technik. The aircraft’s overall controllability, in turn, depends on this. 

The “shark skin” on the aircraft is quite something. The grooves are only 50 micrometers deep—half the thickness of a human hair. The films measure one meter by 50 centimeters. Applying them bubble-free to the aircraft fuselage—which has been meticulously cleaned beforehand—is no easy task. Anyone who has ever tried to wrap a soccer ball in plastic wrap can imagine how difficult it is, says Burger. A good 880 square meters will be applied to the A330, a process estimated to take ten days.

The goal is to achieve a two percent fuel savings

With the optimized surface, the aircraft are expected to save 1 to 1.2 percent in fuel. According to Burger, the cost-of-weight effect also plays a role. A heavier aircraft leads to higher fuel consumption. If less kerosene is consumed, less needs to be carried on board. If the wings and tail are also covered with film in the future, savings of about two percent could be achieved. Even a one-percent reduction could save a long-haul aircraft nearly one metric ton of jet fuel per day.

Simply applying the film isn’t enough. Since aviation in particular demands the highest level of safety, the certification process follows a strict protocol. First, additional measurement equipment was installed on the Discover Airlines A330. “We start by conducting test flights and analyzing the aircraft’s flight behavior in great detail,” reported Johannes Helldorff, who oversees the film application process for Lufthansa Technik. The goal is to compare performance before and after. How does the aircraft perform in the air without the film, and how does it perform with it?

Significant Cost Savings and CO2 Reduction

“If the technology is deployed across a global fleet, it will enable significant cost savings and make an important contribution to more sustainable aviation,” according to Lufthansa Technik. This year, the company entered into a partnership with Airbus to develop and certify the application of AeroSHARK riblet technology on the wings and tail surfaces of the Airbus A330. The goal is to “cover” all relevant aerodynamic surfaces of an aircraft.

To date, the “shark skin” has been applied over large areas on 30 Boeing 777s from various airlines, as well as on a Lufthansa Boeing 747, which served as a test platform. “As of April 2026, aircraft equipped with AeroSHARK have already completed more than 350,000 flight hours, saving over 20,600 metric tons of kerosene and reducing CO2 emissions by more than 65,000 metric tons,” Lufthansa Technik reported in May.

The film withstands all demanding conditions of flight operations

“AeroSHARK” has also demonstrated that the technology withstands all demanding conditions of daily flight operations: high speeds, extreme temperature and pressure differences, UV radiation at high altitudes, and chemical influences such as deicing fluids on the ground, the company said. The coating is now in use by several international airlines. 

Within the Lufthansa Group, 22 aircraft operated by Swiss, Lufthansa Cargo, Austrian Airlines, and Lufthansa use the film. The group’s AeroSHARK fleet saves approximately 19 metric tons of kerosene and about 60 metric tons of CO2 daily, the company proudly reports. In the Americas, South America’s largest airline, Latam, is leading the way.

For Elbe Flugzeugwerke—a subsidiary of ST Engineering (Singapore) and Airbus—the specialized bonding technique is uncharted territory, but not really a technological challenge. The company specializes in the maintenance and retrofitting of aircraft and also works on the world’s largest passenger aircraft—the Airbus A380.