easyJet is trialling a new lower-weight paint on its aircraft, which should allow the operator to make savings on fuel.
The low-cost carrier has entered a partnership with Mankiewicz Aviation Coatings, to develop a new system that reduces the amount of paint previously needed to paint the airline’s livery.
easyJet is the first airline in the world to trial the new paint solution with Dublin-headquartered MRO specialist, MAAS Aviation, painting the aircraft at its Maastricht facility.
The solution has been applied to 38 of easyJet’s aircraft and will be rolled out gradually to easyJet’s entire fleet of A320 family aircraft.
easyJet has reported that the 38 aircraft coated in the new paint are “already delivering fuel savings”. The airline estimates that once the entire fleet is painted, the coating will reduce fuel consumption by 1,296 tonnes annually - equivalent to a 4,095-tonne reduction of carbon emissions.
Lahiru Ranasinghe, director of sustainability at easyJet, noted that the airline is in the process of “exploring and developing innovative solutions” to lower the impact of its operations.
“While this forms 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,” said Ranasinghe.
The airline anticipates that its entire fleet will be coated in the new paint by 2030.