PRODUCTS & S ER V ICES
Actual safety as
well as perceived
safety are key drivers
for encouraging
passenger
confidence
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
JUNE 2020 089
he advent of Covid-19 is likely
to change the way we behave,
from the way we think about
hygiene, to the way we plan for disasters
and manage our emergency response
systems. The way that airlines sanitise
cabins to safeguard passengers will come
under increased scrutiny as it becomes
a main focus for customers. So what
impact will this have on customers and
their decision-making processes when
booking a flight? What will the effect be
on the passenger experience? What are
some of the trends that might emerge
from the post Covid-19 world, and are
we prepared for them?
When we look specifically at hygiene,
until recently we might perhaps have
only looked at the aircraft interior from
a surface cleanliness perspective. Whilst
hygiene was important, it was probably
lower in the list of passenger priorities
than it is now. Indeed flights operating
today see teams clad in biohazard outfits
disinfecting the aircraft interior.
How will this crisis affect cabin design
choices? One key theme is the use of
woven fabrics. Woven fabrics have an
open weave, porous structure with a high
degree of perceived comfort, which is one
of the major reasons why they have often
been chosen for long-haul seating. The
breathability of the open-weave structure
allows for much greater heat dissipation
and water vapour moisture absorption,
which are two key factors in defining
comfort. However, this open structure
can work against the material from a
cleanliness and hygiene point of view.
The open structure of the weave
allows microbes, bacteria and viruses
to hide in the niches and crevices of the
fabric, and the only way to truly disinfect
or clean it is to remove the fabric and
either wash or dry clean the materials.
There is an obvious practical aspect for
Tapis considers the effect that Covid-19 will
have on the aircraft interior fabrics sector
T
HYGIENIC SEAT COVERS
surface provides an effective
barrier layer against bacteria
and virus pathogens. By
incorporating premium
ingredients, including durable
100% polycarbonate resins, these
materials can stay ahead of care
and disinfection challenges, allowing
designers to explore new and lighter
colour options for future aircraft interiors.
“When it’s time to clean or disinfect,
the surface can be wiped clean, safe in
the knowledge that there are no woven
crevices for the pathogens to hide in,”
explains Dr Kevin Hyde, head of R&D
at Tapis Corp, the global supplier of
Ultrafabrics for aerospace applications.
“The ability of Ultrafabrics materials
to withstand cleaning from hospitalgrade
disinfectants and the fact they are
proven market leaders in the medical and
dental industries, makes this a perfect
product to address hygiene and cleaning
seats in the current environment.”
Customer safety is the primary aim
of aviation, but so too is the perception
of safety if we are to win back the
confidence and trust of passengers.
the logistics of this process, and as
such fabrics are typically only taken
off the aircraft for cleaning every three
or four months. Whilst fabrics can be
spot cleaned for localised stains, how
comfortable will customers feel sitting
on fabric seat covers that might not have
been cleaned for months?
Another factor to consider is the seat
colour. In the past the prevalence of dark
blue and dark grey interiors has often
been seen as a way to mask the presence
of soiling and contamination in order to
present the customer with a pleasant
interior. By contrast, medical and
biohazard workers typically prefer white
or light colours, as they need to be able
to see when their protection layer has
been contaminated – they need a visual
cue as to when they should respond
quickly to disinfect and clean the product.
In the future, we could see a much
greater prevalence of materials such as
Ultrafabrics, which offer textures ranging
from fabric-like to classic leather grains,
all of which can be quickly and easily
disinfected with hospital-grade
disinfection wipes. Ultrafabrics products
retain the look, feel and thermal comfort
properties of fabric, but the coated
ABOVE LEFT: THE
RESISTANCE OF
OPEN-WEAVE
STRUCTURES
TO PATHOGENS
MUST BE
CONSIDERED
ABOVE RIGHT:
SEAT COVERS
MUST NOW BE
EVEN MORE
RESISTANT
TO CLEANING
PRODUCTS
FREE READER ENQUIRY SERVICE
To request more details from Tapis,
visit www.magupdate.co.uk/paii
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