EasyJet trials lighter paint system to cut fuel burn

EasyJet said it has become the world’s first airline to use a lower-weight paint method to reduce its planes’ fuel burn. The carrier is trialling a new approach which cuts the number of paint layers needed to create its orange and white livery. It said the system generates a “relatively modest” weight reduction of 27kg per plane, but it is part of “many incremental steps” to make its aircraft lighter, which decreases the amount of fuel they burn and, therefore, their carbon emissions. The method, developed with international company Mankiewicz Aviation Coatings, has been used on 38 easyJet planes so far. EasyJet predicted it will lead to an annual fuel saving of 1,296 tonnes once the fleet-wide rollout is completed by 2030. The airline’s director of sustainability, Lahiru Ranasinghe, said: “EasyJet is constantly exploring and developing innovative solutions to lower the impact of our 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.”<br/>