Sureclean, a supplier of hygiene and disinfection products in Singapore, has partnered with aircraft catering and gateway services specialist SATS to develop a system it says can safely clean an entire aircraft more quickly than other solutions on the market. The rapid aircraft disinfection system, called AURA, combines a galley cart with multi-directional nozzles that dispense electrostatically charged particles of its Germclean aviation-grade disinfect onto all surfaces in the aircraft cabin.

According to Sureclean, a single person can operate AURA and fully disinfect the aircraft by traversing the length of its aisles twice—the first time to dispense disinfectant with the tray tables down and overhead compartments open, and the second time to dispense it with tray tables up and overhead compartments closed. Sureclean says that unlike manual spraying solutions, AURA can reach even areas out of the line of sight, reducing the chance of human error.

Under the recommended two passes, Sureclean says an operator could disinfect a narrowbody aircraft in 10 mins. and a widebody in under 20 mins. According to the company, manual cleaning methods can take anywhere between 90-120 mins. While UV-C disinfection products such as Honeywell’s UV Cabin System can treat aircraft cabins just as quickly as AURA, Sureclean notes that blind spots may be possible due to shadowing and that prolonged UV exposure could lead to possible structural degradation or damage. Startup Aero HygenX is working with De Havilland Canada to create an autonomously operated UVC disinfection system that it says will provide 360 deg. coverage.

Sureclean’s Germclean aviation-grade disinfectant has undergone a variety of tests proving its 99.99% efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 and it has obtained certifications from Boeing and Airbus for its safe use on aircraft interiors. According to Sureclean, the disinfectant maintains its antimicrobial efficacy for up to 30 days.

Now that the system has been trialed, tested and refined, Sureclean is looking to take AURA to the international market. It says it is in talks with some ground handlers for the direct sale of the system and it is actively seeking to work with distributors and agents as well. In addition to SATS, Sureclean is also partnered with galley equipment manufacturer Diethelm Keller Aviation.

In mid-2020 AFI KLM E&M subsidiary Barfield began distributing a similar electrostatic disinfection cart product from On Target Spray Systems. The Electrostatic Cart features a spray stick supply hose instead of multi-directional nozzles and On Target says its wraparound technology provides uniform coverage on all aircraft surfaces three times faster than fogging methods.