HAECO Hong Kong’s Ramp Services team has deployed a robotic cabin cleaning solution for Cathay Pacific to automate deep cabin cleaning and decontamination on its Airbus A330, A350 and Boeing 777 fleets.

The compact disinfection robot, from Avalon SteriTech, consists of a small four-wheel drive vehicle that can move throughout an aircraft cabin via remote control. Its nozzles automatically spray an atomized disinfection solution throughout the cabin, which HAECO says ensures that disinfectants penetrate small gaps in the cabin that can be otherwise difficult to reach during manual cleaning.

HAECO’s team carries out application of the antimicrobial coating on Cathay Pacific’s aircraft at recommended intervals, which it says are in accordance with the OEM’s operating procedures. According to HAECO, its team has undergone comprehensive training for the deployment and operation of the robot.

HAECO first rolled out the robotic cleaning service in September. It performs the automated offering in addition to what it says are other established cleaning procedures for Cathay Pacific.

A number of airlines, OEMs and startups have been developing and deploying automated cabin cleaning solutions since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Companies like Honeywell, LATAM Airlines Brasil and startup AeroHygenX have developed ultraviolet light-based cleaning solutions for aircraft cabins. Other disinfectant specialists such as Sureclean have developed similar spray-based disinfectant solutions.