The significant growth in the number of air travelers visiting the Gulf region, particularly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, is propelling airlines to expand their fleets by adding more aircraft. This demand push is creating a larger requirement for cleaning services in the region. The massive expansion of airports and airline fleets in the Middle East region is enlarging the scope of business opportunities for aircraft cleaning service providers and manufacturers of cleaning chemicals and solutions.

Disinfection in an aircraft

• Cleaning

It all starts with cleaning! Cleaning is the important first step in the disinfection process. Cleaning procedures remain generally unchanged, nevertheless the frequency and areas of cleaning might need to be adjusted. 

• Disinfection
  Airlines implement aircraft disinfection processes based on the company risk assessments. These assessments take in consideration risk levels of

routes, destinations, transit stops, aircraft types configurations, methods and products used, duration of the disinfecting effects of the method, cleaning intervals and other factors.

Let’s understand them better!

• Disinfection procedures

In aircrafts, you'll usually see two types of disinfection - routine and event based.

Routine disinfection is considered as a standard process routinely performed in addition to the cleaning process whereas event based disinfection is performed during or after a specific event (e.g. after the transport of suspected or confirmed cases of communicable diseases onboard, spill of body fluids in the aircraft). 

• Disinfection methods

It is necessary for an airline to exercise caution in selecting disinfecting methods to ensure that it is suitable for aircraft use and that it does not have any negative effects on human health and on aircraft interiors and components.

There are currently two disinfection methods:

(a) Chemical disinfection is primarily the most common method used, where elimination of pathogens is done via use of chemicals disinfectants; Techniques of application may include :

1. Wiping procedures – wipe on/wipe out
2. Electrostatic Spraying
3. Fogging

(b) Non-chemical disinfection is also being used or developed to eliminate or neutralize targeted

pathogens via different techniques of application such as:

1. Aircraft Environmental Control System (ECS) - HEPA Filters
2. Ultraviolet light
3. Ionization
4. Thermal treatments
5. Other technologies as they may be identified

If airlines decide to implement any of the non-chemical techniques, the following processes should be completed:

• The airline has done a thorough evaluation of the proposed techniques to ensure it is safe for

the aircraft and that it complies to health regulations.

• The aircraft manufacturer (OEM) and/or regulator has approved the technique.

Cleaning and disinfection products

Informed selection and the correct use of chemical products is vital in ensuring effective cleaning and disinfection of an aircraft without damaging the aircraft interior, systems, and equipment while minimizing the likelihood of the transmission of communicable diseases. 

Selecting the right product 

The selection of chemicals to be used to mitigate pathogens must be safe for the aircraft use, with no harmful effect on crew, passengers, and employee’s health.

(a) Refer to the local health authorities for recommendations on products effective against communicable disease.

(b) Refer to the aircraft manufacturers (OEM) guidance for the most recent recommendations

(c) Cleaning and disinfection products should comply with and be certified or tested according to OEM standards and/or industry test standards

(d) Refer to the cleaning and disinfection product manufacturer’s instructions to ensure that the proper application, frequency, quantity, ventilation and personal protection equipment is used.

Using the product correctly

It is the airline’s responsibility to ensure correct procedures and chemical products used by the ground handling or cleaning company are based on the aircraft manufacturers (OEM) recommendations and aligned with local health authorities. Any products used need to be approved by the airline.

It is important that the cleaning and disinfectant products are used exclusively according to the product specifications and manufacturer Safety Data Sheet (SDS), personnel use relevant PPE and airlines ensure that the use is periodically reviewed and any effects monitored and evaluated within the company.

(a) Use premixed cleaning and disinfection liquids where possible to avoid mixing ratio errors.

(b) Special attention must be paid to the application instructions and mixing ratios (e.g. wipe on, wipe off, water rinsing, drying after cleaning, etc.).

(c) Use only the limited bottle sizes on board to minimize the risk of spilling the cleaning disinfection and disinfection solutions.

(d) Do not spray cleaning and disinfection liquids in the cargo compartment. Instead, apply as per the product and/or airline application instructions (e.g., wipe on/off).

(e) Do not allow cleaning and disinfection liquid to contact critical equipment (e.g. smoke detector, electronic door operation equipment and fire extinguishing discharge nozzle).

(f) Take precautions around potential sources of ignition, especially hidden sources such as electronic boxes mounted in the cargo compartment as disinfectants are flammable.

(g) Airlines should periodically inspect the aircraft interior and cargo holds to ensure that there are no long term effects or damage over time due to frequent use of cleaning and disinfection products. 

Considerations while cleaning

(a) Once on board, ventilation systems should be kept running while cleaning takes place.

In some cases, depending on the technique used for disinfection, regulators may recommend that the air conditioner be turned off during the disinfection operation, and the passenger cabin fully ventilated after disinfection.

(b) To avoid contamination on board, cleaning crew shall:

1. Be assigned specific tasks as much as possible.
2. Use different cleaning materials in each task area (e.g. cloths, buckets, brushes, mops), potentially using color coded items.

(c) Use disinfection products as per the recommendation in the section on Cleaning and disinfection products.

(d) Clean and disinfect all defined areas in 7.3 by using approved disinfection products as per Cleaning and disinfection products section and appropriate cleaning materials/tools such as mopping, wiping, or any other approved techniques and procedures.

Reducing ground time

Professional cleaners should know their way around an aircraft. Otherwise, it would be a cumbersome task to complete the cleanings in tight schedules. Knowledge about the aircraft greatly reduces the down time. There are many factors that contribute to the down time for the cleaning of an aircraft. Outside temperatures and humidity levels can affect the efficacy of the cleaning products, but trained technicians are taught to know what works best in different temperatures and time of day. With summer quickly coming upon us, one has to consider how employees can clean aircraft in the extreme heat.

According to aviation industry estimates, the Middle East region is going to witness significant growth numbers in fleet expansion plans. Airbus anticipates that the Middle East fleet will treble in size by 2028, while Boeing forecasts Middle Eastern airlines’ requirement of 2,340 aircraft by 2029. 

This huge surge in fleet and air passenger numbers will bring the best of expertise and technology in the aircraft cleaning industry that benefits the region and industry as well.

Apart from these factors, green practices and alternate technologies like UVC are trending in the aircraft industry. As new technologies unfold, it will be be interesting to see how the aircraft cleaning space evolves!