Exterior Dry Wash at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (EHAM)

How does a dry wash work on the ramp at Schiphol-East?

The crew arrives airside with product carts, microfibre applicators and degreasing agents, meeting the aircraft on stand after engine shutdown. No GPU interruption is needed unless cabin access is requested separately; the exterior work proceeds while passengers disembark or the cockpit completes paperwork. Each panel—fuselage, wing upper and lower surfaces, nacelle inlets and tail—is sprayed with a polymer-based cleaner that encapsulates dirt, then wiped in overlapping passes to lift contaminants without scratching the paint.

Belly and gear bays receive a separate degreasing step: a citrus-based emulsifier is applied to brake dust, hydraulic mist and carbon deposits, allowed to dwell for two minutes, then wiped and buffed dry. Leading edges and the cheat line are checked for bonded residue—typically insect protein or fuel staining—and treated with a slightly more aggressive formula if needed. Windows, position lights and the pitot probe surrounds are cleaned with a separate lint-free cloth to avoid any risk of cross-contamination. The final walk-around photographs the result for the tech log and confirms no static ports or sensors were contacted.

What changes at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol for exterior cleaning logistics?

Schiphol sits eleven feet below sea level, and the North Sea maritime climate means near-constant moisture: morning dew, afternoon drizzle and evening fog are routine across all seasons. Paint stays damp longer than at a continental field, so algae and mildew establish quickly in panel seams, around door seals and on the belly if the aircraft has been static for more than a week. Dry wash is particularly effective here because it includes a mild biocide in the polymer formula, breaking down organic films that plain water cannot lift.

The airport operates six runways—the longest, Polderbaan, stretches 3,800 metres—but business aviation uses only the General Aviation Terminal at Schiphol-East, physically separate from the main apron. Handling agents present at the airport coordinate all ramp access; an airside escort is mandatory, and the FBO issues the pass after receiving the crew manifest and passport copies at least two hours before arrival. Schiphol is slot-coordinated around the clock, and a night regime runs from 23:00 to 07:00 local, during which general aviation movements are in principle not allowed. Any exterior service must therefore fit within daytime hours or be pre-arranged inside a night slot if the aircraft holds one—typically only for AOG or urgent charter repositioning.

The policy direction at Schiphol is toward fewer business-aviation movements, with public proposals for a night closure and restrictions on smaller jets. Operationally, this tightens the window: if the slot is at 14:00 and the dry wash takes five hours for a Global 7500, the crew needs wheels-down by 08:00 to finish, file and push on time. Coordination with the handler is not optional; it is the only way to secure stand time, GPU and waste disposal for the used microfibre cloths.

Why does a handler at Schiphol-East expect third-party documentation in advance?

Schiphol-East operates as a controlled environment: every person and every vehicle on the apron is logged, and the handler acts as gatekeeper for all third-party service providers. The FBO receives the cleaning crew's company details, insurance certificate, airside-training records and a list of equipment at least 48 hours before the slot. If any document is missing or expired, the handler will not issue the escort, and the crew will not pass the security checkpoint—even if the aircraft has already landed.

On the day, the handler meets the cleaning team at the GAT, checks passports against the manifest, prints temporary badges and assigns a ground-operations officer to accompany the crew to the stand. That escort remains on-site for the duration of the wash, not because anyone distrusts the process but because Schiphol's security protocols require continuous supervision of non-badged personnel. The handler also confirms that no other ramp activity—refuelling, catering, tug movement—will overlap with the cleaning window, and radios any change in stand assignment if another arrival bumps the schedule.

What does the climate around Amsterdam do to paint and how does dry wash address it?

Sea salt travels inland on the prevailing westerlies, and every aircraft parked overnight at Schiphol wakes up with a fine saline film on the wings and fuselage. Left untreated, that salt draws moisture into the paint's micro-pores, accelerating oxidation and dulling the gloss within weeks. The polymer in a dry-wash formula bonds to the salt crystals and lifts them away in the wipe phase, then leaves behind a hydrophobic layer that sheds the next morning's dew before it can settle.

Bug strikes are less dramatic than in southern Europe, but midges and aphids are active from April through October, especially during evening departures when insects swarm the apron lights. Their residue is acidic; if it sits on a leading edge for more than 72 hours, it etches through the clear coat and requires a single-stage polish to remove the shadow. A dry wash every two to four weeks keeps the leading edges clean enough that polishing remains an annual event rather than a quarterly one, which matters for an aircraft running a busy charter schedule through Schiphol and the surrounding FBOs.

How is belly degreasing managed without a wash bay at Schiphol?

The belly collects everything the engines and brakes produce: carbon soot, hydraulic atomisation, de-icing fluid residue and runway rubber. At Schiphol, where aircraft often arrive after a Type I or Type IV application at a departure airport further north, the underside can carry a sticky glycol film mixed with particulate from the taxiway. A dry wash addresses this with a two-step degrease: the crew applies a citrus emulsifier to the belly panels, gear doors and nacelle undersides, allows it to break down the oil and glycol for two minutes, then wipes with heavy-duty microfibre and buffs dry with a separate cloth.

Because there is no water rinse, the used towels carry all the contamination. The handler provides a sealed waste bin on the stand, and the crew bags the cloths as they go, ensuring no oily residue is left on the apron. Schiphol's environmental officers audit waste disposal, and any spill—even a few drops of degreaser—triggers a report and a possible fine for the handler, who will pass that cost to the operator. The dry-wash method eliminates that risk entirely: no runoff, no puddles, no hydrocarbon sheen on the tarmac.

What goes into the photo report and tech-log entry after the wash?

Once the final panel is buffed, the crew walks the aircraft with a camera, shooting the nose, both profiles, the tail, all four winglets or wing tips, the belly from the nose gear aft, and close-ups of any area that had heavy residue before treatment. Those images are time-stamped and uploaded to a shared folder, then referenced in a one-page report that lists the products used, the areas treated, any anomalies noted—paint chips, loose fasteners, fluid leaks—and the names of the crew members who performed the work. A copy goes to the handler for the ramp file, and another is handed to the captain for the tech log.

The tech-log entry is brief: date, aircraft registration, service performed, duration, and a note that no avionics bays, static ports or pitot probes were contacted. If the captain or chief pilot wants more detail—say, a comment on the condition of the leading edges or the belly—it is added as a separate maintenance note. The photo set serves as evidence that the aircraft left Schiphol-East in the condition documented, which matters for insurance and for any dispute over paint damage discovered later. Handlers at Schiphol appreciate this level of documentation because it closes the loop on their own ramp-safety records and confirms that the third-party crew followed the airport's procedures to the letter.