Lufthansa Technik and Airbus are to certify the former’s Aeroshark riblet film for use on the wings and horizontal and vertical stabilizers of the Airbus A330ceo.
The functional film mimics the riblet structure of shark skin to reduce aerodynamic drag. Large-scale Aeroshark modifications have been applied to 30 Boeing 777 aircraft and one Lufthansa Boeing 747, which served as a testbed before commercial rollout.
Lufthansa Technik will hold the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) and lead the certification activities. Airbus engineers will support the work by providing aircraft type data and safety assessments.
The cooperation builds on an ongoing STC project covering Aeroshark’s application to the A330ceo fuselage and engine nacelles. Subject to validation and approval by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the wing and tailplane solution is intended for commercialization.
The certification program will assess the impact of riblet application on flight dynamics, lightning strike protection, structural loads, maintenance aspects and aircraft systems, including flight control, autopilot and navigation.
When applied across all relevant aerodynamic surfaces, fuel savings for a fully modified A330ceo are expected to exceed 2% on typical long-haul missions, according to Lufthansa Technik.
Henning Linnekogel, senior director OEM partner management at Lufthansa Technik, said, “With the support of Airbus, we are developing a product solution that could contribute to the industry’s decarbonisation goals. Combining our modification and certification expertise with Airbus’ in-depth aircraft knowledge allows us to pave the way for a completely new application of riblet technology on the A330ceo.”
The wing and tailplane work is intended to complement Aeroshark coverage on the fuselage and engine nacelles, which Lufthansa Technik is developing separately with BASF Coatings. Airbus figures cited by FlightGlobal show that more than 1,200 A330-200s and A330-300s remain in service worldwide.
Andrew Muirhead, vice president OEM and special engineering services at Lufthansa Technik, said, “Aeroshark has already demonstrated how powerful biomimetic surface technology can be in reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in commercial aviation.
“As our goal is to support as many airlines as possible in achieving their sustainability targets, we are continuously evolving Aeroshark – by certifying it for additional aircraft types such as the A330ceo and by expanding its application to even larger and more aerodynamically relevant surfaces.”
As of April 2026, aircraft modified with Aeroshark had accumulated more than 350,000 flight hours, saving over 20,600 metric tons of jet fuel and reducing CO2 emissions by more than 65,000 metric tons.
