High-flying hygiene
Boeing develops a self-cleaning toilet to put germophobe flyers at ease.
CHICAGO/TOULOUSE: The trash can’s overflowing, the floor’s a mess and raising the toilet lid is a source of dread. Even the hardiest frequent fliers turn into germophobes hours into a longrange trip.
Boeing Co is readying a solution: a self-cleaning toilet. The US planemaker says it’s found a way to use ultraviolet light to kill 99.99% of germs in jetliner lavatories, disinfect all surfaces after every use in three seconds and keep the restroom from becoming a petri dish.
“Lavatories that constantly tidy themselves at 30,000 feet (9,100 metres) could help slow the spread of infectious diseases borne by passengers jetting between continents,’’ said George Hamlin, an aviation consultant.
“The invention could also reduce airlines’ maintenance bills if it doesn’t involve many moving parts,’’ he said.
“If it’s a reasonable cost, I could see this becoming widespread,” Hamlin said of Boeing’s new product.
The concept offers a new twist on the old aviator saying, “If it ain’t Boeing, I ain’t going,” aviation consultant Robert Mann said by e-mail.
“Boeing should ground-test these in big-city public facilities to develop some street cred,” he said.
Boeing’s lavatory prototype uses a type of ultraviolet light, different from the rays in tanning beds, that doesn’t harm humans. Activated only when the airliner toilet isn’t in use, the lights flood touch surfaces such as the toilet seat, sink and counter top.
“We’re trying to alleviate the anxiety we all face when using a restroom that gets a workout during a flight,” Jeanne Yu, director of environmental performance for Boeing’s commercial airplanes division, said in a statement.
Airbus Group SE is working on its own improvements for jetliner bathrooms, according to Ingo Wuggetzer, the European company’s vice president of marketing.
“Airbus is developing ‘touchless’ technologies for our future lavs, and we will also include ‘anti-bacterial’ surfaces as an upcoming lav feature,” he said. “Moreover, as well as improving lav hygiene, the ambiance and overall freshness will be noticeably enhanced. So, overall, Airbus is set to significantly raise the bar on the passengers’ experience of using an in-flight lav.”
Boeing has filed a patent for the concept, which it says can minimise the growth and potential transmission of micro-organisms. The sanitising even helps rid a lavatory of odors.
It also operates without being touched. The cleaning system would lift and close the toilet seat by itself so that all surfaces are exposed during the cleaning cycle, according to Boeing.
Other perks for those worried about germs: a hands-free f aucet, soap dispenser, trash flap, toilet lid and hand dryer.
The planemaker is also studying a hands-free door latch and vacuum vent system for floor spillage.
Boeing’s concept is a finalist for a Crystal Cabin Award that will be announced at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, on April 5.
“The potential benefits aren’t just in the bathroom. The self-cleaning concept could also help airlines save money on costly repairs,’’ Mann said.
“Toilets are notoriously difficult to keep maintained to high standards, which shows up as odors that cannot be controlled and eventually, corrosion to structures adjoining the lav module, such as floor beams and fuselage stringers,’’ he said. “It really would be a maintenance cost savings, too.”