Lufthansa Cargo’s fourth 777 Shark aircraft has entered service

On 13 October, another Lufthansa Cargo Boeing 777F equipped with Aeroshark technology entered scheduled service. This is the fourth cargo ship that Lufthansa Technik has modified with this technology for the cargo airline since February this year.

Aeroshark is a functional surface layer modeled after the microstructure of shark skin. This reduces aerodynamic frictional drag on the fuselage and engine parts of the Boeing 777 F, saving fuel and thus emissions.

This technology, developed by Lufthansa Technik in cooperation with BASF, will gradually be used in Lufthansa Cargo’s entire 777 freighter fleet, making them more economical and lower emission. As with previous modified freighters, Lufthansa Technik expects fuel savings of around one percent. Counting Lufthansa’s entire 777 Cargo fleet, more than 4,000 tons of kerosene and thus approximately 13,000 tons of CO2 emissions are saved every year. This corresponds to approximately 53 cargo flights from Frankfurt to Shanghai.

By 2027, the topcoat should be applied to all 777 freighters, and the entire 777 fleet should be integrated into scheduled service on Lufthansa Cargo’s global route network. Modification of the upcoming aircraft will begin as part of regular maintenance docks in August 2024.