A Discover Airlines Airbus A330 has become the world’s first Airbus to enter regular scheduled service following a large-scale AeroSHARK modification. This marks a new milestone for the surface technology developed by Lufthansa Technik and Surventis. The long-haul aircraft, registered as D-AIKP, completed its inaugural flight to Florida last Thursday.
AeroSHARK is a special transparent surface film with a fine grooved structure modeled on sharkskin. Applied to the aircraft’s fuselage and engine nacelles, it reduces aerodynamic drag in flight. This can lower fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions by around one percent.
The A330 was equipped with AeroSHARK at Dresden Airport in late August. The aircraft then completed a series of extensive test flights. Analysis of the data collected during those flights confirmed that the technology can be used safely and reliably in flight operations.
“With D-AIKP, we have not only added our first AeroSHARK-equipped aircraft to the fleet, but also reached an important milestone: For the first time ever, an Airbus with AeroSHARK modification is operating in regular scheduled service. We are very proud of this achievement, together with our colleagues and partners both within and outside the Lufthansa Group. We are delighted that the ‘Discover Airlines Shark’ will carry our guests to their vacation destinations in the future,” says Sascha Unterbarnscheidt, Chief Operating Officer at Discover Airlines.
AeroSHARK is supported by Mastercard in the current project phase. As part of a strategic partnership between Mastercard and the Lufthansa Group, both companies are jointly driving innovations intended to contribute to more efficient and more sustainable aviation.
