Lufthansa Technik has begun flight trials of the next-generation AeroSHARK drag-reducing surface on a Lufthansa City Airlines Airbus A319, using the aircraft as the first commercial-service test platform for the updated material. The trial is running on regular Munich-Hamburg flights and will continue through February 2027, with the aim of assessing how the new film performs in day-to-day operations.
The programme uses about 70 transparent film patches, each 20 by 20 cm, applied to selected fuselage areas and to the inside and outside of the engine cowlings. Lufthansa Technik will inspect the samples during scheduled ground time in Hamburg and compare durability, application, cleaning and removal across different material and layer combinations. Surventis, formerly BASF Coatings, is the development partner.
AeroSHARK is already certified for long-haul use on fuselage and engine-cowling surfaces, where Lufthansa Technik says it cuts drag and fuel burn. The new phase is intended to support wider deployment, including possible future use on wings and on the horizontal and vertical stabilisers, where aerodynamic loads are higher. Lufthansa Group has already equipped 22 aircraft with AeroSHARK as of July 2026.