Cabin Disinfection at Farnborough (EGLF)

What does cabin disinfection cover at Farnborough?

The treatment addresses every high-touch surface in the cabin: seats, tables, armrests, latches, switches, galley and lavatory handles, and door hardware. Air vents and gaspers are cleaned and disinfected as part of the air-path work. Odour and smoke neutralisation is included, using aviation-approved chemistry that does not leave residue on OEM materials or avionics.

Each service concludes with a certificate of treatment and a photo report showing the areas covered. The documentation is filed with the tech log or kept in the flight department's records, particularly useful for charter operators whose clients expect visible health protocols. The work is non-invasive: no removal of seat covers, no fogging that cold-soaks panels, and no contact with pitot covers or static ports.

Duration is one to two hours, depending on cabin configuration. A Challenger 350 takes less time than a Global 7500. The FBO is told in advance if you need a faster turnaround; if the slot is tight, the team prioritises high-touch zones and completes air vents on a subsequent visit.

How is the service arranged through the Farnborough FBO?

Ground handling at Farnborough is mandatory and provided exclusively by Farnborough Airport Ltd, which operates both the runway and the FBO. Any third-party detailing, including cabin disinfection, is arranged through the airport's handling team. You notify them via the PPR request or directly after confirmation, stating the service required, the turnaround window, and whether the aircraft will be on the apron or in the hangar.

The handler coordinates airside access and stand assignment. If the aircraft is due for a quick turn—fuel, catering, and disinfection before the next leg—the FBO schedules all suppliers in sequence to avoid overlap on the ramp. For overnight or multi-day stops, the work is often done inside one of the hangars, where lighting and shelter make the job faster and the result cleaner.

You do not need to meet the disinfection crew on arrival. The handler escorts them to the aircraft, unlocks the door if you have left the key, and confirms completion. The certificate and photos are handed to the captain or emailed to the flight department, depending on your standing instruction.

What changes at Farnborough for cabin disinfection timing?

Farnborough operates Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 22:00 local, and Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays from 08:00 to 20:00 local; the airport is closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. These hours are a planning condition with no extensions except for emergencies, so any cabin disinfection must be completed within the published window. A late arrival on Friday evening leaves no margin for morning work on Saturday unless you accept the 08:00 start.

The airport has a single runway, 06/24, 2440 metres long, at an elevation of 238 feet. The field is dedicated to business aviation—no scheduled services, no training circuits—and handles around 33,000 movements a year against a planning cap of 50,000. PPR is required for every movement, and a UK GAR must be filed with Border Force before arrival. Slot coordination is not in force, but the PPR system and weekend movement limits mean you should confirm your arrival time early if you want disinfection done between legs the same day.

Hangar space is available on site; a new hangar was completed in 2024. If your aircraft will be inside, the disinfection team works without weather delays and can access the cabin as soon as the engines cool. For ramp turns, winter rain or summer heat can slow drying times for certain disinfectants, though the chemistry used here is chosen to perform across the UK climate.

When do operators schedule cabin disinfection at Farnborough?

Charter operators request the service after every rotation, particularly when the aircraft has carried multiple passenger groups in quick succession. Medical flights—repatriations, air ambulance positioning—always include disinfection before the next commercial leg, both for infection control and because the cabin may carry residual odours from medical equipment or cleaning agents used by the medical crew.

Long-haul arrivals into Farnborough from the Middle East, Asia, or the United States often trigger a disinfection request, especially if the aircraft will immediately turn for another transatlantic or a short European charter. The service resets the cabin to a visibly clean state and removes any stale air or galley smells that accumulate on an eight- or twelve-hour flight.

Fleet operators with multiple aircraft based at Farnborough build cabin disinfection into a recurring schedule—weekly or fortnightly—so that every jet in the programme receives the treatment regardless of recent flight activity. One-off requests come from crews who have picked up smoke odour, spilled catering, or passenger illness during a trip. The FBO is accustomed to both models and can accommodate same-day calls if the aircraft is already on the ground and the team is airside.

What does the handler expect from the crew for cabin disinfection?

The handler needs to know the service is required, the turnaround window, and whether the cabin is ready for access. If you are departing immediately after disinfection, state the slot time or the latest completion so the FBO can sequence the work ahead of catering and final walk-through. If the aircraft will remain overnight, a wider window is acceptable, but you should still specify morning or afternoon to avoid clashes with maintenance or avionics work.

The cabin should be clear of passenger belongings, loose catering items, and any equipment the crew does not want treated—flight bags, manuals, or portable electronics. The disinfection team does not move or open luggage, and they avoid contact with the flight deck unless explicitly asked. If you want the cockpit included, tell the handler in the PPR or during the pre-arrival call.

GPU availability matters if the treatment is done without engines running. The team needs cabin lighting and, in winter, some heat to ensure disinfectants dry within the quoted time. Farnborough's FBO provides GPU as part of the handling package, so this is rarely an issue, but it is worth confirming if you are arranging a quick turn with multiple service providers on the ramp at once.

How does documentation work for cabin disinfection at Farnborough?

Every cabin disinfection concludes with a certificate of treatment that lists the date, aircraft registration, the disinfectant used, and the areas covered. The certificate is signed by the technician and countersigned by the handler if required by your flight department. A photo report accompanies the certificate, showing high-touch surfaces before and after treatment, air vents, galley handles, and lavatory fixtures. The images are time-stamped and stored for your records.

Charter operators file the certificate with the tech log or keep it in a separate hygiene file for client audits. Some management companies require the documentation to be emailed to the operations desk immediately after completion, so that dispatchers can confirm the aircraft is ready for the next leg. If your department has a specific format or portal for uploading service records, the FBO can deliver the certificate and photos in PDF or JPEG within an hour of the work finishing.

For recurring programmes, the documentation accumulates into a service history that demonstrates compliance with your own health protocols or those of a charter client. The records are retrievable by registration or date, and the FBO keeps copies for twelve months in case you need to reproduce a certificate after the fact.