COV ID - 19 S PECI A L R E PORT
businessjetinteriorsinternational.com
APRIL 2020 015
CABIN AIR
DEEP CLEANING
Latitude Aero is seeing an increase
in demand for decontamination and
infection-control deep cleaning of aircraft.
Kelvin Boyette, president and CEO, says
the company’s existing processes are
up to the task. Latitude Aero cleans all
surfaces and pieces using FAA- and
CMM-approved chemicals and methods,
disassembling every seat. “We were
not surprised when our cleaning agents
made the list of CDC- and WHO-approved
agents for COVID-19 control,” he adds.
“Because we’ve always done it this way,
we are confident that we are thoroughly
stocked to provide service to all customer
needs to get through this season.”
The techniques were developed to
ensure metals and other surfaces are
not damaged in the process. “Some
airlines, to respond quickly, are using a
method called fogging, where chemicals
are sprayed on visible surfaces,” says
Boyette. “Not only is this method
corrosive to metals, it’s not thorough.”
IONIZATION PURIFICATION
Aviation Clean Air (ACA) and International Aero
Engineering have partnered to offer the ACA
Ionization Purification System as a portable
Ion Distribution Unit for ground use only, to
disinfect aircraft interiors.
The unit utilises the same technology as
ACA’s patented airborne system, which is
certified for aircraft installation by FAA STC.
It has been adapted to meet the immediate
need for decontaminating aircraft interiors
while on the ground.
The system is designed to kill pathogens
and purify the air and surfaces by distributing
ions throughout the aircraft. ACA says the
electronically created positive and negative
ions form from hydrogen and oxygen
molecules in the water vapour present in
the air and work as a cleaning agent.
The portable 110 VAC electric-powered
ground unit is placed on the floor of the cabin
and activated for 1-2 hours. The partners say
that in addition to disinfecting and purifying
the aircraft, the unit eliminates the quarantine
requirement currently in place at many OEM
aircraft maintenance facilities.
“Our Ionization Purification System has
been installed on a variety of aircraft models
and is proven to purify the air and surfaces
on board,” says Howard Hackney, managing
member at ACA. “The proactive, natural
purification process uses no chemicals
and produces no harmful ozone or other
emissions. It will also not damage fabrics or
carpeting. In addition, it lessens the number
of personnel required and downtime needed
to conduct a thorough disinfection.”
CABIN HUMIDITY
CTT Systems has long
provided moisture-control
systems to support wellbeing
on flights. Its humidifiers are
designed to increase relative
humidity in the cabin from
below 10% to 20-25%.
“It is well known that the
dry cabin air has a negative
impact on passenger comfort,
wellbeing and health, and can
result in fatigue, jet lag, red
eyes, dry skin and the spread
of virus diseases,” says Peter
Landquist, vice president of
sales and marketing at CTT.
“Dry cabin air dehydrates
people, and when exposed
to extreme low humidity, our
mucus membranes dry and
become more susceptible to
virus attack. Increasing the
cabin humidity to the level on
the ground would most likely
reduce the risk of catching a
virus infection. Humidifiers
will also enable passengers
to sleep better, taste more
flavours and recover more
quickly after arrival.”
The design is based on
technology used in all kinds
of industries where control
of humidity is needed,
for example, medical and
software manufacture, and
even hospital surgeries. CTT
has developed the technology
to fulfil performance,
qualification and certification
requirements within the
aerospace industry.
The humidifiers are
available for linefit and
retrofit on airliner types, and
the company is currently
developing the system for
business jets, where it says
the biggest challenge is the
available space envelope.
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