Airlines are facing tough economic decisions, with routes longer due to international conflicts and the price of oil at around $100, but they could do worse than take a leaf out of easyJet’s book.
New paint means each flight is at least 27kg lighter
The budget British airline is well-known and some might say notorious for its cost-cutting innovations but its latest trick does not involve paring back the customer experience. Instead, it has turned its attention to the exterior of its aircraft, retaining its signature orange and white livery but applying a new paint developed with Mankiewicz Aviation Coatings. The work is being performed by MRO specialists at MASS Aviation at their facility in Maastricht.
The new painting method requires fewer layers and therefore saves a massive 27kg of weight in paint on each plane (an average plane paint job weighs around 80kg). Every single kilogram saved on every flight helps to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. 38 of the fleet have had the paint job so far and when the whole fleet of over 300 craft has been treated by 2030, easyJet predict an annual fuel saving of 1,296 tonnes.
Previous nano-tech trial
It’s not the first time easyJet has looked into cutting edge coatings as a cost saving measure. In 2011, a “revolutionary nano-technology” deployed on US military planes for years entered the commercial sector, with a polarising wash used to electrically charge plane surfaces allowing a specially developed ultra slick polymer to bond to the existing paint surface. The shiny layer was said to help prevent debris sticking to the plane’s main structure, wings and other areas, cutting friction and drag and potentially slashing two percent from easyJet’s fuel consumption.
Big strategy
The new paint approach comes as part of easyJet’s pledge to achieve a 35% reduction in carbon emissions per passenger kilometre by 2035 compared with 2019 levels. Fleet renewal is also part of that equation, as are trials such as an airside hydrogen refueling trial at the UK’s Bristol Airport, which saw a baggage tractor servicing easyJet planes refueled and powered successfully by hydrogen.
According to the airline’s director of sustainability, Lahiru Ranasinghe, the latest paint job plan is “a small part of a bigger strategy, formulating a new lightweight paint with our partners at Mankiewicz Aviation Coatings exemplifies how we’re assessing every single part of our operation to find efficiency gains to help us achieve this mission.”
