IAG invests in MAKO to accelerate drag-reducing Flightfilm tech

International Airlines Group has invested in MAKO to accelerate Flightfilm, a shark skin-inspired technology designed to reduce aircraft drag, cut fuel burn and emissions, and improve operational efficiency.

Summary:

International Airlines Group (IAG) has invested in MAKO to help scale production and certification of Flightfilm, a shark skin-inspired drag-reducing adhesive film for aircraft.
Flightfilm is designed to improve aircraft efficiency by reducing friction drag, lowering fuel consumption, emissions and operating costs without requiring structural modifications.
IAG plans to pilot the technology with one of its airlines later this year, supporting its strategy to test and scale high-impact aviation innovations.

International Airlines Group (IAG) – a Corporate Partner of the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub – has invested in MAKO, which is scaling production of Flightfilm, a drag-reducing shark skin-inspired adhesive film for aviation. The capital will be deployed across MAKO’s vertically integrated capability to manufacture and deliver on commercial airline and defense Flightfilm pre-orders and beyond. The investment also accelerates Flightfilm’s path to certification across key aviation markets.

This funding round is led by Virescent Ventures, investing from both its second fund and on behalf of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), with participation from International Airlines Group through IAGi Ventures – its dedicated venturing arm, Zero Infinity Partners, Grok Ventures, Skip Capital, IP Group, and TreeArc. The investor group represents a coalition of climate finance, deep technology investment, and aviation industry capital backing a single aviation efficiency technology.

“Investments from our Ventures arm play a key role in IAG’s transformation programme, and we focus on companies with the ambition and potential to truly transform aviation,” said Raza Ali, Managing Partner, IAGi Ventures. “We have been hugely impressed by the approach of the MAKO team and the progress made in their trials of Flightfilm. IAG is planning to test the technology later this year with one of our airlines, with the potential to scale across others. We believe it can improve efficiency and deliver both substantial cost efficiencies and emission reductions, while aligning with our innovation mission to transform aviation by testing and scaling high-impact emerging technologies.”

In commercial aviation, MAKO has a partnership with Delta Air Lines under its Sustainable Skies Lab, and upcoming trials with major carriers in the Asia Pacific region. In addition, IAG will be conducting a pilot of Flightfilm with one of its airlines later this year.

MAKO develops, manufactures, and sells Flightfilm – a precision-engineered drag reduction film inspired by the microscopic skin texture of fast-swimming sharks. Applied to the majority of an aircraft’s surface, Flightfilm reduces friction drag and delivers fuel savings, lower emissions, and reduced operating costs. Flightfilm requires no structural modification to the airframe and is installed during scheduled maintenance events for rapid deployment.

“We are proud to have Virescent Ventures lead our Series A,” said Henry Bilinsky, CEO, MAKO. “Their team has backed us since our seed round and have been excellent partners. They understand the significance of our vision to make surfaces that replace the need for a new aircraft. It is exciting to have IAGi Ventures as a key strategic investor representing one of the largest airline groups in the world. As we complete product certification, MAKO will be leveraging their expertise from ground operations to airworthiness to ensure Flightfilm meets all airline customer needs.”