TechnologyLATAM to equip entire Boeing 777 fleet with AeroSHARK technology
LATAM Airlines Group has decided to extend the use of AeroSHARK across its entire fleet of Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, expanding a project that began quietly in late 2023. Under an updated agreement with Lufthansa Technik, which developed the technology jointly with BASF Coatings, all ten of LATAM’s 777-300ERs are scheduled to be modified by 2027.
AeroSHARK is a functional surface film applied to the exterior of the aircraft and inspired by the microscopic structure of sharkskin. The film features fine longitudinal grooves, known as riblets, aligned with the airflow. These riblets reduce aerodynamic drag, allowing aircraft to burn less fuel and generate fewer carbon emissions without structural changes. On the 777-300ER, the film covers most of the fuselage and engine nacelles, an area of roughly 950 square metres per aircraft.
LATAM was the first airline outside the Lufthansa Group to adopt AeroSHARK. The first modified aircraft entered service in December 2023 without a public announcement, as part of an operational evaluation phase.
After nearly a year in regular service, the airline confirmed fuel and emissions savings of about 1%, in line with expectations. Based on these results, LATAM ordered four additional shipsets in 2024 and has now added five more, bringing the total to ten.
Once the modification program is completed, LATAM will become the second airline worldwide to operate an entire subfleet equipped with the technology.
According to estimates from Lufthansa Technik, applying AeroSHARK across LATAM’s full 777 fleet could result in annual savings of up to 4,000 tonnes of jet fuel and around 12,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. In operational terms, this corresponds to the emissions generated by dozens of long-haul international flights.
The AeroSHARK technology currently holds supplemental type certification for several Boeing 777 variants, including passenger and freighter versions, as well as the 747-400. Development work continues to expand its application, both by increasing the surface areas covered and by certifying additional aircraft types.
Lufthansa Technik has indicated that the first AeroSHARK modification for an Airbus aircraft, the A330ceo, is planned to enter service from 2026.
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