TAP Air Portugal has confirmed that it is introducing AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings’ lighter Aerobase UPD aircraft basecoat after successful tests on two Airbus A320s. The airline says the coating can reduce weight by up to 26 kg per aircraft, with the first A320 test delivering a 24 kg reduction, and that fleetwide deployment could bring annual fuel savings, lower emissions and reduced maintenance effort.
TAP says the new coating reduces basecoat film thickness by 36% compared with the traditional two-basecoat process. It can also be applied in a single basecoat cycle, which removes one complete painting cycle and the associated drying stage. The technology is certified to AMS3095 for global mixed-fleet MRO use.
The airline says the lighter coating could save about 428.5 tonnes of fuel per year across the fleet, cut costs by more than half a million euros and reduce CO₂ emissions by about 1,353 tonnes annually. TAP has already coated two A320s with the system and is preparing a progressive rollout across the fleet.