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LATAM invests in sharkskin-inspired technology

Dergam Mousa

LATAM Airlines has invested in an innovative technology, inspired by shark skin, which, through millions of scales, reduces fuselage friction and reduces CO₂ emissions sent into the atmosphere.

AeroSHARK is the name of the technology, developed by Lufthansa Technik and BASF, which will be installed in some of LATAM’s Boeing 777 aircraft and, thanks to its millions of flakes, will reduce fuel consumption by approximately 1% and reduce the emission of 6,000 tons of CO2 per year, once it is installed in the designated aircraft.

In December 2023, LATAM had its first Boeing 777-300ER equipped with Lufthansa Technik’s bionic surface coating in São Paulo. Since then, the Latin American airline has been testing the sharkskin-inspired technology in daily operations. Given the good results, LATAM has decided to install this innovative technology on four more aircraft.

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“Our fleet modernization strategy is a cornerstone of our commitment to sustainability and our vision to achieve net zero emissions 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.

Operation of AeroSHARK

AeroSHARK is a special coating that mimics the flow-optimized structure of shark skin. Developed jointly by BASF and Lufthansa Technik, it features biometric technology measuring approximately 50 micrometers. When several hundred square meters of this coating are applied to the fuselage and engine gondolas, drag is reduced, leading to a decrease in fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions by approximately 1%. For LATAM Group’s Boeing 777-300ER fleet, this translates into an expected annual savings of about 2,000 metric tons of kerosene and an approximate reduction of 6,000 tons of CO₂ emissions once all aircraft are equipped with the technology, which is equivalent to approximately 28 scheduled flights from São Paulo to Miami on a Boeing 777.

“The LATAM group’s decision confirms once again that AeroSHARK works. This motivates us to continue using our engineering skills and innovative strength to contribute to aviation with lower CO₂ emissions” said Robin Johansson, Senior Director Sales Latin America and Caribbean at Lufthansa Technik. “We look forward to collaborating with more customers globally and applying our fuel-saving sharkskin technology on even more aircraft.”

The next aircraft modification for LATAM is scheduled for November of this year.

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