Discover Airlines is providing an A330-300 for the EASA campaign, with approval targeted for both A330-200 and A330-300 aircraft.
- Lufthansa Technik has entered the final certification phase for AeroSHARK on the Airbus A330-200 and A330-300.
- A Discover Airlines A330-300 is being used for the flight-test campaign and will be the first Airbus aircraft equipped with AeroSHARK for testing.
- The current AeroSHARK application is designed to reduce fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions by about 1 percent per flight.
- Lufthansa Group says 22 aircraft were already equipped with AeroSHARK as of August 2026, saving about 19 metric tonnes of kerosene and 60 metric tonnes of CO₂ per day.
(NEWS) DRESDEN, Saxony, Germany, 2026-Sep-09 — /Travel PR News/ — A drag-reducing surface technology inspired by shark skin is moving toward its first certification on an Airbus aircraft, opening a potential new efficiency option for operators of the A330-200 and A330-300 long-haul fleet.
Lufthansa Technik has entered the final phase of supplemental type certification for AeroSHARK on the two A330 variants, using a Discover Airlines A330-300 as the test aircraft. According to the official Lufthansa Group update, the aircraft is undergoing test flights before and after modification at Elbe Flugzeugwerke in Dresden over a period of several weeks.
The campaign will make the Discover Airlines jet the first Airbus aircraft worldwide to be equipped with AeroSHARK, initially for flight testing. If the European Union Aviation Safety Agency approves the Supplemental Type Certificate, the technology would become available for both the A330-200 and A330-300.
From Boeing 777 approvals to the Airbus A330
AeroSHARK was developed by Lufthansa Technik and Surventis, formerly BASF Coatings. Its functional film uses riblets around 50 micrometers high, aligned with the airflow and modeled on the microscopic structure of shark skin. Applied to an aircraft’s fuselage and engine cowlings, the film is designed to reduce aerodynamic drag; Lufthansa Group says the current application lowers fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions by about 1 percent per flight.
The technology is already certified for the Boeing 777F, 777-300ER and 777-200ER. The A330 programme represents the next major certification step and requires technical documentation, ground and flight testing and final in-service validation as part of Lufthansa Technik’s EASA process.
Grazia Vittadini, Chief Technology Officer of Lufthansa Group, said the planned A330ceo approval would extend the technology to another significant segment of the global long-haul fleet and described the work with Discover Airlines and Mastercard as an example of partners combining resources around efficiency and emissions reduction.
AeroSHARK fleet grows while next-generation material is tested
As of August 2026, Lufthansa Group said 22 aircraft in its fleet had already been equipped with AeroSHARK, collectively saving around 19 metric tonnes of kerosene and about 60 metric tonnes of CO₂ per day. A July 30 AeroSHARK update identified the installed fleet as 12 SWISS Boeing 777-300ERs, five Lufthansa Cargo 777Fs, four Austrian Airlines 777-200ERs and one Lufthansa Boeing 747-400.
That earlier update also detailed a separate development track for a new generation of AeroSHARK material. Lufthansa Technik and Surventis are testing about 70 film patches on a Lufthansa City Airlines Airbus A319 through February 2027, with the longer-term goal of extending the technology to higher-load surfaces including wings and horizontal and vertical stabilizers. Lufthansa Group says using those additional surfaces could potentially double the savings available from the technology.
Mastercard backs the current certification phase
Mastercard is supporting the present A330 project phase through a strategic sustainability partnership with Lufthansa Group. The companies have not disclosed financial terms in the announcement, but the collaboration is positioned around advancing technologies intended to improve aviation efficiency.
For airlines operating established long-haul aircraft, the A330 certification effort is notable because it focuses on reducing fuel burn through an aerodynamic retrofit rather than through replacement of the aircraft itself. The outcome of the certification campaign will determine whether AeroSHARK can move from its existing Boeing applications into wider Airbus A330 operations.
