LATAM Airlines Group, the first airline outside the Lufthansa Group to use AeroSHARK, has decided to expand the use of the drag-reduction technology developed jointly by Lufthansa Technik and BASF Coatings.
The airline has extended its contract with Lufthansa Technik to include the delivery of five additional AeroSHARK shipsets. These will be used to retrofit the remaining aircraft in LATAM’s fleet of ten Boeing 777-300ERs. By the end of 2025, five aircraft were already operating with AeroSHARK installed, and the final modification is expected to be completed in 2027.
LATAM was among the earliest adopters of AeroSHARK. Its first aircraft was modified in December 2023 without public announcement in order to test the technology in real airline operations. After almost one year of day-to-day use, the aircraft confirmed the expected reduction of around one percent in fuel consumption and emissions. Following this validation, LATAM ordered four additional shipsets in 2024.
AeroSHARK is a functional surface film that replicates the flow-optimised structure of sharkskin. It features small longitudinal protrusions measuring about 50 micrometres, so-called riblets, which are precisely aligned with the airflow. In the current expansion stage, these riblets cover almost the entire fuselage and engine nacelles of the Boeing 777, around 950 m² on its -300ER variant. Once LATAM’s entire Boeing 777 fleet is modified in this way, the proven one per cent drag reduction will enable the airline to achieve annual savings of up to 4,000 metric tonnes of jet fuel and 12,000 metric tonnes of CO₂ emissions. This is equivalent to around 56 scheduled flights from São Paulo to Miami on a Boeing 777.
With the new order, LATAM’s total AeroSHARK purchase reaches ten shipsets, matching its full 777-300ER subfleet. Once all aircraft are modified in 2027, LATAM is expected to become the second airline worldwide to operate an entire subfleet equipped with AeroSHARK.
