Five LATAM Airlines Group Boeing 777-300ERs will be coated with Lufthansa Technik’s Aeroshark drag-reducing film – the first carrier in the Americas and the third in the world to use this technology in order to save fuel and reduce emissions.
The German company said on 3 October that it has been testing the film on one LATAM long-haul aircraft since December 2023. That test has shown an approximately 1% reduction in jet fuel consumption in daily operations, and based on those results, four more aircraft will receive the refit.
“Our fleet modernisation strategy is a cornerstone of our commitment to sustainability and our vision of achieving net-zero [emissions] by 2050,” says Sebastian Acuto, director of fleet and projects for Santiago-based LATAM. “We remain focused on innovation and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, ensuring our fleet evolves in line with our environmental goals.”
LATAM chief executive Roberto Alvo has become one of Latin America’s strongest advocates and loudest voices for sustainability in aviation operations. Earlier this year, he told FlightGlobal that decarbonisation will be the biggest challenge for the industry in the first half of the 21st century.
In April 2022, Alvo was the first airline chief executive in South America to commit to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), saying that LATAM would “seek to consume 5% of our fuel consumption in sustainable aviation fuels by 2030”. It was a bold declaration in a region in which aviation remains relatively underdeveloped, taxes are high, regulation is stifling and the travelling public is extremely price-sensitive.
So far, Aeroshark has been installed on aircraft operating in the Lufthansa Group: a sole Lufthansa 747-400, all 12 777-300ERs operated by Swiss International Air Lines, and four 777Fs that fly for Lufthansa Cargo. Work has also begun on applying the film to four Austrian Airlines 777-200ERs. In addition, Asian airlines ANA and Eva Air are also applying the film to their long-haul aircraft.
Including LATAM’s first modified 777, 21 aircraft are now in service with the film.
The film was developed by German chemicals company BASF and Lufthansa Technik, and mimics the flow-optimised structure of sharkskin. It is designed to reduce drag, which in turn reduces fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
The five LATAM Airlines Group aircraft are expected to save up to 2,000 metric tonnes of kerosene and 6,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year. That translates to the emissions expelled by about 28 scheduled flights from Sao Paulo to Miami on a 777, the company says.
“LATAM’s decision confirms once again: Aeroshark works,” adds Robin Johansson, senior director of sales for Latin America and Caribbean at Lufthansa Technik. “This further encourages us to use our engineering skills and innovative strength to contribute to aviation with lower CO2 emissions.”
