AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings received the Sustainability Future Award from Airbus Defence and Space for the qualification and delivery of a new chrome-free aircraft primer.

The award recognizes the collaboration between AkzoNobel and Airbus Defence and Space, which enabled the primer to be qualified and brought into production within six months. AkzoNobel said the primer met Airbus’ technical, operational and sustainability requirements.

The award was presented during Airbus Defence and Space’s Air Power Global Supplier Conference in Ottobrunn, near Munich, in May.

According to AkzoNobel, the primer supports Airbus Defence and Space’s sustainability goals by helping reduce the use of hazardous materials in aircraft manufacturing while maintaining the corrosion protection and durability required for aerospace applications.

AkzoNobel said the program demonstrated its ability to rapidly scale production of the primer for multiple classes of aircraft and supply it globally as Airbus responds to future customer demand.

With Airbus Defence and Space planning to increase production volumes across several aircraft programs over the next three years, AkzoNobel said it will continue working with the company to support production speed, quality and sustainability performance.

“This award reflects the strength of our collaboration with Airbus Defence and Space and our shared commitment to advancing more sustainable aerospace manufacturing,” said Frédéric Perret, global key account lead at AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings. “Qualifying and industrializing chrome-free technologies at this pace, while demonstrating the ability to support future production ramp-up, is an important milestone for the aerospace industry.”

Perret added that AkzoNobel has continued to strengthen its wider sustainability performance to become one of Airbus’ top-performing suppliers.