TOILET AND WATER
THE BAIR
NECESSITIES Fraport Slovenia’s water service
unit from Mallaghan at the
picturesque Ljubljana airport
The Deputy Editor sources a round-up from the manufacturers in the lavatory and water services sector.
While not the most glamorous of areas
in aviation, that of potable water
and toilet services is nonetheless a
necessary aspect of aircra maintenance
– and one that can cost a lot of time
and money if not done correctly. e
manufacturers bring an update on this
specialist sector.
China’s choice
China-based Weihai Guantai Airport
Equipment manufactures four models
each of potable water and lavatory service
vehicles, including one electric o ering for
each application.
Zheng Junyue, Product Specialist,
International Business Division, comments
on the company’s main markets. “Although
we do sell the trucks overseas, most orders
come from Chinese domestic markets.
Each year, we deliver around 30 units of
lavatory trucks and about the same number
of potable water trucks to airports all over
China,” she relates. Most popular are the
3 tonne and 4 tonne units, according to
Zheng. “GGS30 and WGWS30 used to be
the bestsellers, while in recent years there
Going green
Zheng asserts that conversion to electric
is the biggest development that the sector
is currently seeing. Weihai’s own electric
o ering was deployed into the market in
around 2018-2019. “Recently, most of our
modi cations and developments have been
focused on clean energy: that includes
upgrading the diesel emission level and
electric power. Our priority in 2020
remains electric power and we are ready to
put the full range of electric-powered GSE
into the international market.”
She believes China is marginally ahead
of other countries in the trend towards
clean energy. “Our government has
been attaching a lot of importance to
the environment and has issued relative
policies aiming to reduce emissions. So as
a China-based manufacturer, we have been
very keen to go electric and upgrade the
diesel emission standard.”
TLD also ags up its electric lavatory
o ering – a project that began in 2015,
with the rst prototype built in July 2016
at its Wuxi, China, factory. “With the
increased focus on reducing harmful
is a growing demand for larger volume, so
WGGS40 and WGWS40 has been gaining
popularity.” e GGS50 and GWS50 are
becoming a rarer choice, she adds, ordered
only when volume demands necessitate it.
Customers praise the ergonomic design
and ease of operation of Weihai’s units,
Zheng continues. “Hangzhou Xiaoshan
airport and Kunming airport mentioned
the six-point oating supporter technology,
which brings a smoother drive to the giant
water tank. Instead of welding the tank
solidly to the chassis, we put three pairs
of the supporters under the tank. e
supporters act as bu ers while driving,
making sure the tank moves smoothly
without shock,” she explains.
“Recently we have developed electricpowered
models for both lavatory trucks
and potable water trucks as a part of a
plan to eventually supply the full range of
electric GSE,” she goes on to say. Weihai
has already developed a catalogue of at
least 12 electric machines, from hi-li
loaders to passenger steps and buses. “All
the newly developed electric models come
with lithium batteries,” she adds.
40 February 2020 Ground Handling International