Swiss flies ahead with shark technology

Swiss, Switzerland’s national airline, is the first passenger airline in the world to use the new AeroSHARK surface technology. Lower frictional drag on the outer shell reduces carbon emissions and fuel consumption by around 1 percent according to a press release. The name AeroShark refers to the structure of the new coating that will be applied to the fuselage and engine nacelles of all twelve of Swiss’s Boeing 777-300s.

According to a press release, AeroSHARK is a technology developed jointly by Lufthansa Technik and BASF that consists of ribs measuring approximately 50 micrometers, called riblets. It imitates shark skin, which is particularly streamlined, and thus optimizes aerodynamics at appropriate areas of the aircraft. 

Swiss is aiming for fuel savings of around 1.1 percent by attaching a total of 950 square meters of riblet film to the surface of the fuselage and engine nacelles. This would entail savings of more than 4,800 metric tons of fuel and up to 15,200 metric tons of CO2 annually across the entire fleet. According to the press release, this would correspond to around 87 long-haul flights from Zurich to Mumbai.

Swiss CEO Dieter Vranckx states: “Reducing its environmental footprint is one of the greatest challenges ahead for the aviation sector, and being carbon-neutral in our flying by 2050 is a key SWISS strategic objective.” Swiss has set itself the target of halving its net carbon emissions from 2019 to 2030 and is aiming at carbon neutrality by 2050.

According to another press release from the airline, it presented the first aircraft in its new premium economy class at Zurich Airport on February 24. This new travel class will complement the existing economy, business and first class offerings. Air passengers in the new class are said to benefit from increased privacy and greater comfort. Premium economy will gradually be introduced on twelve long-haul aircraft.