Floor cleaning aviation industry

Customer case Air Service Basel

“By switching to Wetrok cleaning technology, we were able to renovate the floor covering in the hangar instead of replacing it”

On the premises of Air Service Basel, private and business jets travel from within the country and abroad. Stubborn stains on the hangar’s floor surface of roughly 6,000 square metres posed a major challenge for the team. By switching to a new cleaning method (Wetrok products), they were able to avoid having to replace the floor covering. The strategy: renovating instead of replacing.

The company:

Air Service Basel is located directly at the EuroAirport in Basel. It facilitates convenient travel and acts as a departure and arrival terminal for private and business jets (fixed base operator). Air Service Basel has three hangars, two lounges, various sanitary areas and several crew accommodation rooms. Within the hangars, airplanes owned by private individuals or companies are stored, maintained and repaired. The team at Air Service Basel takes care of everything the travellers need – from ordering limousines to managing hotel reservations all the way to handling the customs process. The mission of Air Service Basel: Offering the best and most personal flight experience possible for every guest, from landing to take-off.

The customers:

Private airplane owners from within the country and abroad, international celebrities in the sports, music or entertainment sectors, business travellers with private jets.

The daily routine:

During standard operation, between 10-20 airplanes take off and land every day. At peak times, for instance during the Art Basel art fair, this number can reach up to 100 planes per day. In addition, there is occasional transportation for the healthcare sector (organ transportation) and air rescue (REGA).

The cleaning work:

The floor surface of the hangar (epoxy resin coating) covers an area of more than 6,000 square metres. The entire area is cleaned at least twice a week using a scrubber-dryer (deep cleaning). Due to the partial accessibility of the area, cleaning is subdivided into stages – a different partial area is cleaned every day. In addition, there are situational, selective cleaning tasks during daily operation (regular control rounds of cleaning personnel, communication via walkie-talkie).

The challenges for cleaning:

The enormous floor area requires a high level of efficiency for cleaning machines. In addition, the area is obstructed at times with planes and machines for parking and performing maintenance on the planes. The soiling predominantly involves highly stubborn industrial stains, particularly de-icing agents, rubber abrasion from the wheels, oil residues or blue chemical residues from the on-board toilets. To prevent the stains from eating into the floor covering, they should be removed immediately after they form. Not only do the stains need to be removed – the floor markings and the floor’s shine need to be retained as well.

The problem:

Due to intensive use, the floor was covered with stains. It was not possible to remove the stains with the existing cleaning equipment. The brush pressure of the scrubber-dryer was too weak, the pads were heavily worn, and the cleaning agent had insufficient stain-removing power.

The alternatives:

A) Replacement of the floor covering (cost point: 250,000 Swiss francs)
B) Renovation of the floor covering with new cleaning equipment from a different manufacturer