CT, a leading engineering company in technological innovation throughout the whole product life cycle, has developed FlightSafe, an automated system for short-range UV-C light disinfection of commercial aircraft cabins. Luis Flores, Engineering Manufacturing Business Unit Manager in Seville, explains that “at CT we are fully aware that the safety and health of passengers and onboard personnel are paramount to the recovery of air transport. The project was born in a laboratory of ideas that we created in CT, in the context of the pandemic. After several months working on this system, which automates the disinfection process with a safe technology that is perfectly adapted to the cabin space and the short duration of the stopovers, we have just applied for its patent and we hope to be able to develop it in a short period of time.

This automated vehicle is equipped with a system of folding arms, equipped with lamps that emit type C ultraviolet light, at a frequency which has proven to be an effective disinfectant. The system is capable of moving around inside the aircraft cabin and closely illuminating the various elements of the cabin (seats, arms, table, floor, trunk doors, etc.) through the movement and rotation of the arms.

Among its advantages are the speed and autonomy of the process, which allows for a reduction in aircraft layover times, since the disinfection process is currently carried out manually, with the consequent risk for the cleaning staff. Likewise, by carrying out the disinfection process during stopovers in an autonomous manner, operators, crew and passengers are not exposed to UV-C light, which at certain frequencies and powers can be harmful.

In this line, the CT project collaborates with several institutions such as the University of Seville (AICIA), which provides the mobile platform, and the CSIC (Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), through the CNB (Centro Nacional de Biotecnología), which is responsible for providing the operating parameters and certifying the disinfection process using UV-C light.

Although the system is designed for the aeronautical sector, its operation and technology are valid for any other means of transport, such as trains. CT hopes to put this system at the service of safe travel for passengers, to boost the transport sector by air and by any other means.