• 

  Airbus

  Stock Code:

  AIR

  Date Founded:

  1970-12-18

  CEO:

  Guillaume Faury

  Headquarters Location:

  Toulouse, France

  Key Product Lines:

  Airbus A220, Airbus A320, Airbus A330, Airbus A340, Airbus A350, Airbus A380

  Business Type:

  Planemaker

Airbus has teamed up with Dielh Aviation to provide a touchless toilet retrofit option for its A320 family and A330ceo aircraft, as showcased at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg this week.

As a result of the pandemic, passengers are more hygiene-conscious than ever. Airbus wants to instill confidence in travel as part of its Health Onboard mission, and the touchless toilet now features alongside the manufacturer's other initiatives to enable a safer environment onboard its aircraft. These include top-down cabin air flows, HEPA filters, and antimicrobial polishes and coatings.

A closer look at the touchless toilet

As part of Dielh Aviation’s touchless toilet retrofit, the water faucet, waste flap, toilet lid, and toilet flush buttons all become touch-free. The retrofit option complements Airbus' existing and in-development line-fit touchless options.

American Airlines is currently the world's largest A320 family operator. Some of the largest A330ceo operators with the option of this retrofit include Cathay Pacific, Turkish Airlines, and Delta Air Lines.

According to Airbus, in addition to creating a more hygienic environment for passengers and crew, other advantages for airlines include “the low weight of the kit, low purchase price, and the same part number for a wide range of Airbus aircraft types, keeping costs and inventory low.”

The simplicity of the retrofit also means that it can be completed overnight, without having to take the aircraft out of service for a significant period of time.

About Diehl Aviation

Dielh Aviation is one of the leading suppliers of cabin interiors and aircraft systems and currently employs over 4,000 people. Its clients include Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, and military partners around the world.

Thanks to its partnership with Airbus, Dielh Aviation will now be able to market its touchless toilet through the aircraft manufacturer’s sales channels. Chief customer officer at Diehl Aviation, Harald Mehring, said,

“We are very proud to now further strengthen our long-standing trustful cooperation with Airbus also in sales. Jointly with Airbus, we can establish our retrofit solutions for the touchless lavatory even faster and with a broader scope in the market.”

Airbus’ Health Onboard mission

At the start of the pandemic, Airbus launched its Keep Trust in Travel initiative as an immediate response to the unprecedented situation. This has since evolved into the Health Onboard mission, which looks at longer-term, sustainable capabilities to face potential future pandemics.

In a press release, Airbus stated,

"As we take to the skies again we want to provide facts to reassure and dispel myths so we can make sure flying continues to be a source of enjoyment for all. Together with our industry partners and regulatory agencies, we are working to examine all aspects of the end-to-end travel experience to ensure it continues to be healthy and safe."

Throughout the pandemic, one of the major discussion points around onboard hygiene has been the use of High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestors (HEPA) filters.

Airbus prides itself on the fact that the air in its cabins is renewed every two to three minutes, thanks in part to HEPA filters, which remove more than 99.9 % of particles present in the air, including microscopic bacteria and virus clusters.

As the industry recovers from the pandemic and investment in new technologies continues, we are likely to see further developments in the future, like the touchless toilet retrofit, that lead to cleaner cabins.

What do you think of Airbus’ new touchless toilet concept? Share your thoughts by commenting below.

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