Aircraft, like cars, get dirty and require regular cleaning to stay in tip-top condition.
That, naturally, requires water – and in the case of a jetliner, and awful lot. But with the commodity a scarce one here, cleaning a plane without using water would be highly desirable – but how could that be done?
Emirates has the answer and, appropriately enough with tomorrow being World Environment Day, the airline is showcasing an environmentally friendly jet wash technique that enables it to save millions of litres of water a year. Using the “aircraft drywash” technique, little or no water is involved – in contrast to conventional methods that typically use thousands of litres of water per wash.
Keeping an aircraft clean is more than just a cosmetic excercise. The dirt that accumulates on a plane’s surfaces also increases the fuel it consumes by making it and less aerodynamic. Traditionally, aircraft are cleaned by using highly pressurised water, between four to five times every year. However, on an average that uses more than 11,300 litres of water in the case of an Airbus A380 and more than 9,500 litres of water for a Boeing 777 aircraft every time.
Since early last year Emirates has been using the drywash technique to clean its fleet of more than 250 aircraft. A liquid cleaning product is first applied manually to the entire external surface of the aircraft, which dries to a film. A clean microfibre fabric is then used to remove the cleaning product, taking the dirt along with it and leaving the aircraft clean and polished. The process leaves with a fine protective film allowing the painted surface to retain its gloss for longer. It takes a crew of 15 staff about 12 hours to clean an A380 and about nine hours to clean a Boeing 777 aircraft.
Using this system, Emirates said it saves more than 11 million litres of water every year.
In addition, as little or no water is used, it is possible for other maintenance work to be carried out on the aircraft at the same time as a dry wash.
Other envinronmentally friendly cleaning processes Emirates employs include the foam wash system for cleaning aircraft engines . This allows the airline to save about 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year across its fleet, it said. Also, through its ‘A Greener Tomorrow’ programme, Emirates has provided funding to non-profit organisations across the world who work to conserve and safeguard their local environments. Funds for the initiative are raised entirely through the Emirates Group’s internal recycling programmes.
chnelson@thenational.ae
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