AISATS introduces automated aircraft exterior cleaning system

Air India subsidiary AISATS has introduced an automated aircraft exterior cleaning system which will help it reduce time and man power required in cleaning of planes.
With the introduction of automated cleaning system, the AISATS claims to have become the first ground handling company in the country to do so.
The system take one-third of the time taken in cleaning a narrow body aircraft with conventional manual method, thereby, allowing AISATS to make a cleaner plane available for service in less time.
"Conventionally, it takes at least 5-6 hours, 18 people and gallons of water to clean one aircraft, but with this automated process, narrow body aircraft can be cleaned with reduced number of resources and man hours in just 2 hours," said an official statement.

The automated system was first put through a trial for three months, from February to April this year, before being officially inducted.
The Nordic Dino II, the robotic equipment has a washing height of 8.5 metres and can easily clean up to Boeing 737 sized aircraft.
The automated cleaning system, deployed by AISATS, consists of a mobile power unit, spray nozzles and rotating cleaning brushes powered by a lightweight remote control. It can cater to approximately 5-7 aircrafts in a day at the IGI airport.
Apart from this cleaning equipment, AISATS has also invested Rs 400 million, since last year, in Ground Support Equipment (GSE) to improve service delivery standards and operational efficiency at the busiest airport in India.