Ceramic Coating at Memmingen (Allgäu Airport) (EDJA)

Why choose ceramic coating at Memmingen rather than waiting until the next scheduled base?

Memmingen sits four kilometres from town in the Allgäu foothills, a natural mid-route stop between central Europe and the Alps. If the aircraft has just come out of paint or a complete detail elsewhere and the next leg allows three to six days, applying ceramic here means the finish is protected before the winter de-icing season or a long sequence of short turnarounds. Leaving it until the next base often means six more months of unprotected exposure, more frequent washes, and paint that picks up contamination faster.

The airport operates 06:00 to 22:00 local, with a PPR-only extension to 23:00 for delayed flights; overnight work is not possible, so the aircraft stays in the hangar between sessions. That schedule suits ceramic application: each layer needs controlled temperature and low humidity during cure, and the hangar door stays closed. Operators who plan around Memmingen's daytime window and the three-to-six-day span get the coating done without disrupting a tight charter roster or splitting the job across two countries.

What changes at Memmingen (Allgäu Airport) that affect the coating process?

Memmingen's elevation—633 metres, one of the highest commercial airports in Germany—brings colder winters and a longer de-icing season. Ceramic coating work happens in the hangar, so outside temperature matters less during application, but the cold-soaked airframe needs time to reach stable hangar temperature before any correction or coating begins. In winter that acclimatisation can add half a day to the schedule.

The single runway, 06/24 at 2,630 metres, handles everything from narrowbody airliners to business jets; general aviation uses Apron 3 on the southern side, opposite the passenger terminal. Ground handling is provided by ALLgate, the airport's wholly owned subsidiary, which also arranges airside access for contractors. There is no separate FBO, so every airside movement—towing to the hangar, GPU supply, waste disposal—goes through ALLgate's operations desk.

Memmingen is a Level 2 schedules-facilitated airport: slots are not mandatory, but the co-ordinator asks operators to file arrival times in advance. Customs and border control are on site, arranged through flight operations when you register the flight. The airport closes overnight, so if the aircraft lands late in the PPR window it will stay on the apron until the hangar opens at 06:00 the next morning.

How does the ceramic-coating process work over three to six days?

Day one is decontamination: the entire airframe is clay-barred to lift bonded contamination—industrial fallout, tree sap, residual wax—that would sit under the ceramic and fail within months. On day two the paint is inspected under high-intensity light and corrected with a multi-stage polish to remove oxidation, swirls and light scratches; only clean, smooth paint will bond properly with the ceramic layer.

The first ceramic coat goes on during day three, applied panel by panel with infrared lamps to control flash time. The second coat follows twelve to twenty-four hours later, depending on the product and hangar humidity. Brightwork—nacelle lips, landing-light surrounds, exhaust shrouds—receives its own ceramic formulation after polishing. Windows are treated separately with a hydrophobic top coat that sheds water and makes ice removal easier.

The final day is reserved for curing and inspection: the aircraft stays in the hangar at stable temperature while the coating cross-links. Before you collect the aircraft you receive a maintenance plan—wash intervals, approved chemicals, what to avoid—and a warranty document that lists the areas covered and the expected durability, typically two to three years under a regular wash schedule.

When should ceramic coating be scheduled—after a repaint, or as a standalone service?

Ceramic delivers the best return when the paint is already in good condition: straight after a repaint, or following a complete detail that has corrected all the oxidation and scratches. Applying it over tired, chalky paint simply locks in the dullness and wastes the coating's UV-blocking and hydrophobic properties. If the aircraft has not been polished in two years, the recommendation is a complete detail first, then ceramic as the final step.

For operators on a fleet programme, ceramic fits naturally into the three-year cycle: year one is a complete detail with ceramic application; years two and three are express washes or maintenance washes, which take half the usual time because contaminants have not bonded to the surface. At the end of year three the ceramic has thinned, so the cycle repeats. Standalone ceramic—without prior correction—is only sensible if the paint was corrected within the past six months and you have photo documentation to prove it.

What happens to the coating during the de-icing season, and does it need special care?

Ceramic is formulated to resist Type I and Type IV de-icing fluids, but it is not indestructible. The glycol in de-icing fluid will not dissolve the coating, yet mechanical scraping—ice chisels, stiff brushes, high-pressure lances aimed at close range—will scratch through it just as easily as it scratches paint. The advantage of ceramic in winter is that ice and frost bond less strongly to the surface, so removal takes less force and there is less risk of marring the finish.

After every de-icing event the aircraft should be rinsed within a week to remove glycol residue, which attracts dirt and can leave streaks if it dries repeatedly. A rinseless wash is enough; no soap or scrubbing is needed. If the aircraft operates through a full northern-European winter, expect the coating to show wear on the leading edges, belly and nacelle lips by spring; those areas can be spot-treated and re-coated without redoing the entire airframe.

How is airside access arranged at Memmingen, and what documentation do you need?

Because Memmingen has no independent FBO, all airside access is co-ordinated through ALLgate, which holds the ground-handling contract. When you book the ceramic coating, the contractor submits a list of personnel and vehicle registrations to ALLgate's operations team; each technician receives a temporary airside pass valid for the duration of the job. The process takes two working days, so the booking should be confirmed at least a week before the aircraft arrives.

Customs clearance for non-Schengen flights is arranged when you file the flight registration with the airport ([email protected]). VIP passengers are driven directly to the aircraft via Gate 1 of the main terminal; there is no separate general-aviation terminal, so if the owner wants to inspect the work in progress, the visit is logged as a separate airside movement. At the end of the job you receive a photo report showing each stage—decontamination, correction, first coat, second coat, final cure—and a signed tech-log entry confirming the work and the products used, which satisfies most warranty and insurance requirements.