World first as easyJet trials paint that lowers weight and fuel burn of aircraft

easyJet has become the first airline in the world to trial a new state-of-the-art lower-weight paint, which will enable the operator to make further savings on fuel.

The airline and its partner Mankiewicz Aviation Coatings have developed a new system that reduces the amount of paint previously needed to create the easyJet livery colours.

The innovative solution has already been applied to 38 aircraft and will be rolled out gradually to easyJet’s entire fleet, with the airline due to complete the transition by 2030.

While the lighter weight coat generates a relatively modest impact per plane - 27kg weight reduction - complemented with other fuel reduction methods and applied to entire fleets, this could provide another method of reducing carbon emissions.

easyJet says its 38 planes that have been coated with the new paint are already delivering fuel savings thanks to their lighter weight - and once rolled out to the entire fleet will account for a 1,296 tonne fuel reduction.

This is equivalent to a 4,095 tonne reduction of carbon emissions.

Lahiru Ranasinghe, director of sustainability at easyJet, said: “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.”

Andrew Richardson, aviation sales manager at Mankiewicz Aviation Coatings added: “We are pleased to have been easyJet’s chosen coatings partner for the last five years and to have worked on this sustainability driven project.”

Richard Marston, chief commercial officer at MAAS Aviation added: “We work closely with our supply chain to ensure we use the latest technology products that deliver the highest standards of performance and finish, while reducing the impact on the world around us.

“We are very proud to be part of such a groundbreaking initiative.”