ANA Cargo put its first Boeing 777 freighter equipped with AeroSHARK surface aimed at reducing fuel burn into service on September 2, 2024, ANA and Lufthansa Technik announced. It plans to modify a passenger 777-300ER next.
The surface film developed by BASF and Lufthansa Technik was applied to the 777F registered JA771F by ANA’s maintenance provider in Xiamen, where the aircraft arrived on August 12, 2024. The modified aircraft’s first revenue flight after being ferried back to Tokyo Narita on September 1, 2024, was Narita – Chicago.
“Drawing inspiration from nature is deeply rooted in Japanese arts and culture. Therefore, what airline could be a better fit for our nature-inspired AeroSHARK than the world-famous ‘Inspiration of Japan’?” said Dennis Kohr, Senior Vice President Corporate Sales Asia Pacific at Lufthansa Technik.
The film consisting of approximately 50 micrometer ribs is designed to reduce drag and expected to lead to savings of approximately 250 tons of fuel per aircraft per year. It is currently available for multiple 777 variants and flying on about 20 aircraft so far. BASF and Lufthansa Technik are working toward making the product available for more aircraft types.
ANA plans to apply the surface to a Boeing 777-300ER registered JA796A next, by the spring of 2025. Once it does so, it will be the first airline to operate both passenger and freighter aircraft equipped with the technology.
