Delta has announced a fuel efficiency partnership to install “shark skin” riblets on its Boeing 767 fleet.
The airline said in a recent news release that it would work with Australian aerospace technology company MicroTau to deploy its “Riblet Modification Package” for reducing drive drag.
Inspired by actual shark skin, MicroTau boasts that this technology can increase fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions by up to four percent.
“Despite their smooth appearance, the skin of sharks is covered in a layer of microscopic grooves called dermal denticles, which help a shark swim more efficiently and expend less energy,” Delta’s news release stated. “Applying these microscopic grooves, often called riblets, to the exterior of an aircraft can reduce drag by smoothing air flow, which helps reduce fuel consumption.”
The new technology being tested on Delta’s Boeing 767 fleet is part of the airline’s Sustainable Skies Lab initiative, which aims to build more eco-friendly industry partnerships.
“Delta’s Sustainable Skies Lab bridges the gap between ideas and proven innovation by accelerating research, design and testing for a more sustainable future of air travel,” said Sustainable Skies Director, Sangita Sharma, in the release. “Collaborating with innovative partners lets us explore both changes that can be implemented in the near-term, and longer-term initiatives that will revolutionize how we think about flying for years to come.”
Delta isn’t the first airline to experiment with shark skin technology for its aircraft. In 2022, German flag carrier Lufthansa became the first airline to target emissions this way with its “AeroSHARK” bionic film.
In January 2025, Japan Airlines partnered with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and another coating company to apply its own riblet skin to a Boeing 787-9. According to reporting by Traicy, this marked the first time an aircraft with riblet coating had flown internationally.
