Squeaky clean: Hygiene innovations
With hygiene at the forefront of everyone’s minds, April Waterston explores the latest innovations keeping cabins clean and passengers germ-free
The hygiene sector has had its time to shine this past year. New hygiene innovations have emerged and their value has never been appreciated more. From industrial sprayers and air filters to antibac dispensers, there’s a plethora of new hygiene products to keep passengers safe and germ-free.
Disinfect, fast
Hi-Line Industries’ HI-KLEEN offers a quick and easy way to distribute disinfectant throughout an aircraft cabin or train carriage. It claims a single, quick application of HI-KLEEN ensures full sanitisation of all contact surfaces, providing five hours of protection from further contamination. The product is safe to apply without PPE, and it claims to kill and inhibit both bacteria and viruses (including enveloped viruses such as COVID-19) on hard or soft surfaces. The 17kg canisters are distributed through a spray gun and provide typical coverage of 750sqms.
Sureclean’s Aura MK1 Rapid Aircraft Disinfection system also provides a tool to deep clean an entire aircraft. With only one operator, AURA can traverse the length of the aircraft with ease via the aisles, achieving complete disinfection within 10 minutes. Having a similar form as a galley cart, AURA can be deployed for use on aircraft with minimal operator training, and when used with Germclean Aviation Grade Disinfectant it claims to significantly reduce a variety of bacteria and viruses on surfaces, providing residual protection for up to 30 days.
let there be light
For a more novel (and less chemical) approach, advances in ultraviolet (UV) sanitisation could be the future. dnata has partnered with Uveya, a Swiss technology company, to successfully conduct a proof of concept using UV technology to sanitise the cabin.
Uveya’s solution uses UV-C rays to disinfect the interior of the aircraft. During the cleaning process, an autonomous sterilisation robot emits concentrated UV-C light across the cabin. The device can effectively kill over 99% of bacteria and pathogens in the air and on surfaces in minutes.
Fresh air
A big misconception and cause of anxiety amongst passengers is the idea that germs are circulated around aircraft through the air systems, meaning that if one ill person boards a plane, every other passenger will surely fall ill too.
Of course, this isn’t the case. Air filters are designed to keep air clean and safe. For example, Panasonic’s nanoe Air Cleanser both inhibits odours and suppresses germs and bacteria around passengers through ultra-fine, electrified water nanoparticles – 15,000 times finer than the width of a human hair.
Looking forward, Camfil has announced a Memorandum of Understanding with CTT Systems
(CTT) to see Camfil’s air filtration technology for aircraft incorporated in CTT’s humidifier products. Primarily, CTT opts to incorporate air filtration in its humidifier products to further improve air quality for pilots, crew, and passengers. CTT will then be able to complement existing clean air solutions without adding additional maintenance or overhaul for airlines.
passenger priorities
Hand santiser has joined the league of wallets, keys and masks on the list of things we no longer leave home without. It’s an essential for passenger confidence, giving them the power to feel clean and protected any time while away from home.
Plane Talking Products (PTP) has partnered with Nilaqua to bring its highly successful skin and surface hygiene products onboard. “In recent months, along with other innovations in onboard hygiene, we’ve been bringing this healthcare expertise to airline clients in a way that would have seemed unlikely 12 months ago,” says Alison Wells, director at PTP.
The Nilaqua range of hand sanitisers and surface spray products are available exclusively through PTP. The alcohol-free formula is the key: not only virucidal but sporicidal, bactericidal and fungicidal – proven to be effective against 99.99% of bacteria whilst remaining kind to hands.
Gelcard is a new credit-card thin hand sanitiser, ideal for distribution in amenity kits or during the passenger boarding process. It’s the size of a business card and features an innovative snap technology – simply fold in half and it will release a fast-absorbing anti-bacterial gel. Although it’s single-use, the cards are lighter than bottles and can be branded to let customers know just who is keeping them safe.
For a more permanent fixture, Eirtech has designed a mounting solution that can hold Prolong’s water-based Foaming Hand Sanitiser throughout the cabin. The lightweight mount can be installed in galleys, bulkheads, lavatories and cockpit. •