Did you know?
Traditional cleaning methods for a wide-body aircraft can use up to 13,000 litres of water, but ‘dry wash’ and eco-friendly aircraft cleaning techniques can reduce water usage by 95%.
Relevance to aviation
This is not an area usually identified as a major impact for air transport, although like any industry aviation must be mindful of water use, particularly in water-constrained areas. However, water availability may constitute a significant restriction on growth if it is not managed in a proactive way. A large number of airports have around the world have robust water management programmes and procedures in place.
Examples of action
- In December 2023, Air India launched Aerowash: an environmentally-friendly automated aircraft interior washing and nearly dry cleaning system. The system can save up to 75,000 litres of water annually per wide-body aircraft and 30,000 litres for narrow-body types. The equipment contains robotic microfibre brush drums designed to be effective without using water.
- Hong Kong Airport uses a ‘triple water system’ to improve the efficiency of its three major water sources: freshwater, seawater and treated wastewater, which has helped the airport reduce its freshwater demand by over 50% each year.
- Emirates Airline uses a ‘drywash’ technique on its fleet which saves 11.7 million litres of water each year, whilst improving the aerodynamic performance of its aircraft (reducing fuel burn).
- Canberra Airport has published an extensive Water Management Plan, which addresses issues related to stormwater, groundwater and recycled water.
- Oslo Airport conducts environmentally-friendly deicing operations, using non-toxic deicing fluid on its aircraft and additive-free organic salt for runways and taxiways.
Learn more in the Flying in Formation report