The “Discover Airlines Shark” takes flight: world’s first Airbus equipped with AeroSHARK enters scheduled service

• First A330 featuring “sharkskin” technology on the fuselage and engine nacelles
• D-AIKP has already been in regular scheduled service since last week
• Innovation developed by Lufthansa Technik and Surventis can reduce fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions by around one percent

A Discover Airlines Airbus A330 has become the world’s first Airbus to enter regular scheduled service following a large-scale AeroSHARK modification. This marks a new milestone for the surface technology developed by Lufthansa Technik and Surventis. The long-haul aircraft, registered as D-AIKP, completed its inaugural flight to Florida last Thursday.

AeroSHARK is a special transparent surface film with a fine grooved structure modeled on sharkskin. Applied to the aircraft’s fuselage and engine nacelles, it reduces aerodynamic drag in flight. This can lower fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions by around one percent.

The A330 was equipped with AeroSHARK at Dresden Airport in late August. The aircraft then completed a series of extensive test flights. Analysis of the data collected during those flights confirmed that the technology can be used safely and reliably in flight operations.

“With D-AIKP, we have not only added our first AeroSHARK-equipped aircraft to the fleet, but also reached an important milestone: For the first time ever, an Airbus with AeroSHARK modification is operating in regular scheduled service. We are very proud of this achievement, together with our colleagues and partners both within and outside the Lufthansa Group. We are delighted that the ‘Discover Airlines Shark’ will carry our guests to their vacation destinations in the future,” says Sascha Unterbarnscheidt, Chief Operating Officer at Discover Airlines.

AeroSHARK is supported by Mastercard in the current project phase. As part of a strategic partnership between Mastercard and the Lufthansa Group, both companies are jointly driving innovations intended to contribute to more efficient and more sustainable aviation.

About AeroSHARK

AeroSHARK is a functional surface film developed by Lufthansa Technik and Surventis. Its microscopic grooves are modeled on sharkskin. Sharkskin features fine, flow-aligned grooves known as riblets, which reduce frictional drag and improve hydrodynamic performance. AeroSHARK brings this principle to aviation: The surface film features riblets measuring only about 50 micrometers in height, precisely aligned with the airflow. Applied to an aircraft’s fuselage and engine nacelles, it reduces aerodynamic drag in flight. The technology lowers fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions on every flight—currently by approximately one percent. As of September 2026, the Lufthansa Group had already equipped 23 aircraft with AeroSHARK. Each day, the Lufthansa Group’s AeroSHARK fleet saves more than 20 metric tons of jet fuel and approximately 64 metric tons of CO₂. Airlines outside the Lufthansa Group are also already using the innovative film to improve the fuel efficiency of their long-haul aircraft.