Korean Air Welcomes Back Long-Haul Customers With Symbolic Aircraft Cleaning Event
- Joe Breitfeller
- Apr 18, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 28, 2022
Korean Air held an aircraft cleaning event at their Seoul Incheon International Airport on April 18th, as they welcome back long-haul passengers in the post-pandemic environment. At the symbolic event, the carrier thoroughly cleaned on of their Boeing 747-8i aircraft.
On Monday (April 18, 2022), Korean Air Lines announced that they held a largely symbolic aircraft cleaning event at their Seoul Incheon International Airport hangar, as the carrier welcomes back long-haul guests in the post-pandemic environment. While the airline regularly washes their fleet, at today’s event the washing of a Boeing 737-8i, which is usually deployed on long-haul routes, represents the entry of a new era, as customers begin traveling again in earnest.
In Monday’s announcement, a Korean Air representative, said,
“We are both reducing carbon emissions and welcoming our customers back with the best service through our freshly cleaned aircraft.”
During the cleaning process, the entire aircraft is cleaned from nose to tail including parts such as the fuselage, landing gear, wings and engines, using specialized treatment that disperses water, cleaning fluid and/or steam. First, the fuselage is cleaned by spraying water to remove dust from the surface. Korean Air team members then carefully remove pollutants with cleaning fluid and special tools before respraying the aircraft with water to remove any remaining residue. Jet engines are sprayed with high-pressure to remove dust, in a process that is repeated several times. The exterior cleaning process utilizes a high place operation car, three lift cars and three water service trucks.
Following the cleaning process, the used water is collected and properly disposed of to prevent environmental contamination. Cleaning the engines results in a decline in exhaust gas temperature by around two degrees Celsius, while improving fuel efficiency and reducing carbon emissions by 190 tons annually.
Source: Korean Air Lines
