Easyjet is set to become the UK's first commercial airline to apply nano-paint to its aircraft.
The super-micro technology, which is 100 times thinner than the average human hair, will allow the plane to slide more efficiently through the air, cutting costly fuel bills and giving airline bosses more leeway to cut fares.
The new technology will add 4oz to the weight of the plane but will prevent dust and debris build up.
It is like an aviation 'Polyfilla' but at a microscopic level - filling cracks and uneven surfaces to make the plane's exterior surface smoother and more aerodynamic. It prevents particles bonding on its surface.
The nano-paint has been developed by Poole-based firm TripleO and has previously been used on US military aircraft.
With Easyjet’s fuel bill reaching £750 million last year, experts behind the new technology say it will help cut the budget airline’s fuel bills by up to 2 percent.
This could end up saving the airline up to £20 million a year.
Easyjet, Chief Executive Carolyn McCall said: "If we can find new ways of reducing the amount of fuel used by our aircraft we can pass the benefits on to our customers."
A spokesman for the airline said: “The manufacturers of the coating estimate that it could reduce easyJet’s fuel consumption by 1-2%. The airline has coated eight aircraft and will compare their fuel consumption with the rest of the fleet during a 12 month trial period.”
To read more on nanotechnology, read our article Nanotechnology and automotive manufacturing.
The super-micro technology, which is 100 times thinner than the average human hair, will allow the plane to slide more efficiently through the air, cutting costly fuel bills and giving airline bosses more leeway to cut fares.
The new technology will add 4oz to the weight of the plane but will prevent dust and debris build up.
It is like an aviation 'Polyfilla' but at a microscopic level - filling cracks and uneven surfaces to make the plane's exterior surface smoother and more aerodynamic. It prevents particles bonding on its surface.
The nano-paint has been developed by Poole-based firm TripleO and has previously been used on US military aircraft.
With Easyjet’s fuel bill reaching £750 million last year, experts behind the new technology say it will help cut the budget airline’s fuel bills by up to 2 percent.
This could end up saving the airline up to £20 million a year.
Easyjet, Chief Executive Carolyn McCall said: "If we can find new ways of reducing the amount of fuel used by our aircraft we can pass the benefits on to our customers."
A spokesman for the airline said: “The manufacturers of the coating estimate that it could reduce easyJet’s fuel consumption by 1-2%. The airline has coated eight aircraft and will compare their fuel consumption with the rest of the fleet during a 12 month trial period.”
To read more on nanotechnology, read our article Nanotechnology and automotive manufacturing.
