Austrian Airlines has become the latest carrier from the Lufthansa Group to adopt the aerodynamics-enhancing AeroSHARK technology. 

The Austrian flag carrier announced on January 14, 2024, that one of its Boeing 777-200ER aircraft (OE-LPC) had flown between Bangkok (BKK) and Vienna (VIE) featuring the specially treated fuel-saving fuselage surfaces. 

AeroSHARK was developed jointly by Lufthansa Technik, which is the engineering and maintenance arm of airline group, and German chemicals giant BASF. It consists of tiny transparent ribs (which are called “riblets” on account of their small dimensions, of around 50 micrometers in size) which are applied to the outer surfaces of the aircraft at some key points, enhancing the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft and helping the airline save fuel. The effect is similar to that achieved by the skin of sharks, which is where this technology gets its name. 

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