EasyJet has given eight of their planes a new lick of paint in an attempt to reduce fuel costs and increase efficiency.
The coating, which is already used by the US military, adds only 113g to the overall weight of the plane (if this were standard paint it would be closer to 80 kg), and its manufacturers claim it could cut the airline’s fuel consumption by up to 2 per cent.
Triple O, the UK-based company who makes the coating, said it reduces the plane’s drag by stopping debris building up on the surfaces of the aircraft Its success is attributed to its incredibly low weight and the super smooth surfaces it creates.
The solution contains nanoparticles which bind to the existing paint in a process described as “filling the ‘pores’ of the surface with a unique resin…to prevent penetration by contaminants of the ‘hills and valleys’ of a surface our eyes cannot see”.
The surfaces must be thoroughly cleaned before a polarising wash is applied, giving the surface an overall positive charge and opening up the pores, which all helps the nanoparticles to form cross-links with the paint.
It has been estimated that had easyJet applied this polymer to all planes last year they would have saved £14 million on their fuel bill – a saving that the company’s CEO, Carolyn McCall, said would profit the customer. “If we can find new ways of reducing the amount of fuel used by our aircraft we can pass the benefits onto our passengers by offering them low fares and a lower carbon footprint.”
The company prides itself on its green credentials, stating that “an easyJet passenger is responsible for 22% fewer emissions than a passenger on a traditional airline, when they fly the same route and use the same type of plane”. The use of this technology across the whole fleet would be equivalent to saving 20 flights worth of CO2 and although they flew over 24,000 flights last year, easyJet believe this would still put them at the front of the field.
One final cause for concern are the temperatures aircraft may be exposed to, but Triple O claim that solar heat will “actually give even further protection, unlike most competitive products that eventually melt”.
Over the next year the fuel consumption of the planes with the paint will be compared to those without, and a decision will be made on whether to use the technology on all aircraft.
The move could be hugely significant to the budget air travel industry, but as the first of the newly painted planes hit the skies, only time will tell if this idea takes off.
Picture courtesy of David
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