Boeing Co. has developed something new to tackle a basic fear for flying germophobes: airliner lavatories that become virtual petri dishes during long-range trips.
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The U.S. planemaker says its engineers and designers have formulated self-cleaning toilets which use ultraviolet light to kill 99.99 per cent of germs, disinfecting all surfaces after every use within just three seconds. Boeing’s rival, Airbus Group SE, is focusing on a similar concept.
“We’re attempting to alleviate the anxiety all of us face when using a restroom that gets a good work out during a flight,” Jeanne Yu, director of environmental performance for Boeing’s commercial airplanes division, said in a statement.
The concept offers a new twist around 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 venues to develop some street cred,” he said.
Airbus is working on its own improvements for jetliner bathrooms, according to Ingo Wuggetzer, the European company’s vice president of marketing.
In-Flight Lav
“Airbus is developing ‘touchless’ technologies for the future lavs, and we’ll also include ‘anti-bacterial’ surfaces being an upcoming lav feature,” Wuggetzer said. “Moreover, in addition to improving lav hygiene, the ambiance and overall freshness is going to be noticeably enhanced. So, overall, Airbus is set to significantly raise the bar around the passengers’ experience of utilizing an in-flight lav.”
Boeing’s lavatory prototype uses a type of ultraviolet light, not the same as the rays in tanning beds, that doesn’t harm humans. Activated only if the airliner toilet isn’t in use, the lights flood touch surfaces such as the toilet seat, sink and counter.
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Eliminating Odours
The Chicago-based company has filed a patent for that concept, which it says can minimize the development and potential transmission of micro-organisms. The sanitizing even helps rid a lavatory of odours.
Better yet, it might be touchless. The cleaning system would lift and shut the toilet seat alone so that all surfaces are subjected throughout the cleaning cycle, based on Boeing. Other perks for all those worried about germs: hands-free faucet, soap dispense, trash flap, lid and hand dryer. The planemaker can also be studying a hands-free door latch and vacuum vent system for floor spillage.
Maintenance Savings
The concept is a finalist for any Crystal Cabin Award that will be announced in the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany on April 5.
The potential benefits aren’t just within the bathroom. The self-cleaning concept may also help airlines save money on costly repairs, Mann said.
Toilets “are notoriously hard 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, Mann said. “It really would be a maintenance cost savings, too.”
Bloomberg News
