Ceramic Coating at Nürnberg (EDDN)

What changes at Nürnberg?

Nürnberg sits at 1,044 feet elevation, five kilometres north of the city centre, with a single 2,700-metre runway. The airport is licensed for 24/7 operations—unusual among German city hubs—and AirPart GmbH, the handling agent and General Aviation Terminal operator, is staffed around the clock. That means we can pull an aircraft into the hangar late in the evening or move it back to the apron before the morning bank without waiting for desk hours. The GAT is at Flughafenstr. 100; all ramp coordination, fuel orders, and crew transport run through AirPart (tel. +49 911 937 1576, [email protected]).

Nuremberg is a Level 2 schedules-facilitated airport, not fully slot-coordinated, and Universal Weather lists no slot requirement for business aviation. A Prior Permission Request form exists for airlines and pilots, but in practice GA arrivals are straightforward. Winter sees cargo and military movements at night; summer brings a passenger peak and occasional night flights. For a three-to-six-day ceramic programme, we book the hangar in advance and notify AirPart of the expected ferry slot and any cold-soak requirements if the aircraft arrives from a de-icing environment.

How does a ceramic coating programme work at this airport?

The aircraft ferries in, clears customs if inbound from outside Schengen, and taxis to the GAT apron. We meet the crew airside with an escort and tow or taxi the aircraft into our contracted hangar. The first day is decontamination: a two-bucket wash, clay-bar treatment to lift embedded rail dust and industrial fallout, and a solvent wipe to remove any residual wax or sealant. Day two is paint correction—machine polishing to remove oxidation, micro-scratches, and swirl marks left by years of ramp washing. We work panel by panel, checking depth with a paint-thickness gauge to stay within OEM limits.

Once the paint is level and the surface energy is high, we apply the first ceramic layer. It flashes in twenty minutes; we apply the second layer two hours later. Brightwork—nacelle lips, landing-light surrounds, static ports, any polished aluminium—receives its own ceramic formulation after a dedicated polish. Windows get a separate hydrophobic treatment that bonds to glass without affecting optical clarity. The final day is curing: the hangar stays closed, temperature stable, humidity controlled. We then move the aircraft back to the apron, update the tech log, and hand over the maintenance plan, warranty certificate, and a time-stamped photo set showing before, during, and after.

What does the handler expect when a third party works the aircraft?

AirPart GmbH holds IATA AHM 804 and ISAGO certification, so their ground-damage and insurance protocols are non-negotiable. Before we touch the aircraft we provide them with our liability certificate, a list of personnel and their airside-pass numbers, and a method statement that describes every piece of equipment entering the hangar—trestles, polishers, lighting rigs, tow bar if we move the aircraft ourselves. They want to know who will supervise the tow, whether we need GPU or air-start, and what our spill-containment plan is for polish compound and ceramic product.

During the programme, AirPart logs every entry and exit in their ramp-movement system. If we need to reposition the aircraft to another stand or back onto the apron for an engine run, we notify them at least two hours ahead so they can coordinate with tower and reserve the taxiway. At the end, they countersign our tech-log entry and file a copy of the warranty document with the ferry release. It is a formal process, but it means that if the owner's flight department or the charter operator asks the handler for a record of work done, the paper trail is complete and auditable.

Why does climate matter for ceramic coating?

Ceramic cures through a chemical cross-link that depends on stable temperature and controlled humidity. If the hangar swings ten degrees overnight or if moisture condenses on the paint before the coating has fully bonded, the layer will not achieve its rated hardness or hydrophobic angle. Nuremberg's continental climate brings cold winters—often below freezing from December through February—and warm summers that can push hangar temperatures above thirty degrees if ventilation is poor. We monitor both and adjust the programme: in winter we may pre-heat the hangar and delay the first layer until the fuselage skin is above fifteen degrees; in summer we work early morning and late evening, avoiding the midday peak.

The 24/7 licence helps here. If an aircraft arrives cold-soaked after a night ferry from Scandinavia, we can let it equalise in the hangar for twelve hours before we start the wash, rather than rushing the decon and risking surface condensation during correction. Conversely, if a summer afternoon thunderstorm raises humidity, we can pause between ceramic layers and resume at night when the air dries. The result is a coating that meets the manufacturer's specification for hardness, hydrophobicity, and longevity—typically two to three years before a maintenance top-up is due.

What documentation and photo reporting do you deliver?

Every ceramic programme generates a warranty pack. It starts with the pre-work survey: high-resolution photographs of the entire fuselage, both sides, belly, nacelles, winglets, and tail, shot in daylight or under calibrated LED to show the true condition of the paint. We note any existing chips, scratches, or areas where the clear coat is thin. After decontamination we photograph the clay-bar residue and any contamination lifted from the leading edges—often a mix of bug strike, de-icing fluid residue, and airborne particulates.

Correction is documented panel by panel: before-and-after pairs under cross-polarised light to show swirl removal, and paint-thickness readings logged in a spreadsheet mapped to the fuselage stations. Once the ceramic is applied and cured, we shoot the same angles again to demonstrate gloss and the water-beading effect. The final pack includes the warranty certificate—valid for two or three years depending on the product—a maintenance schedule that tells the flight department which wash chemistry is safe, and a digital folder with time-stamped images and the paint-thickness map. AirPart countersigns the tech-log entry, and we email the full pack to the chief pilot and the owner's office before the ferry slot.

How do access and airside logistics work for a multi-day programme?

All our technicians hold German airside passes issued by Flughafen Nürnberg; if we bring a specialist from outside the region, we apply for a temporary escort at least five working days before the ferry date. On the day of arrival, we meet the aircraft at the GAT apron with a tow bar or, if the crew prefers, we ride the jump seat and the captain taxis to the hangar threshold. AirPart provides the marshaller and the tug if needed. Once inside, the hangar is a controlled environment: no other aircraft, no through traffic, doors closed except for ventilation cycles.

If the owner or flight department wants to inspect progress, we coordinate a mid-programme visit through AirPart; they issue a visitor pass and escort the party airside. At the end, we can time the handover to coincide with the crew's return from the hotel or, if the aircraft is due straight out on a charter leg, we'll have it back on the apron, fuelled, and catered by the slot AirPart confirms. The GAT desk (open Mon–Fri 06:00–21:30 and weekends 08:30–18:00, though the agent is reachable 24/7) handles flight plan, handling invoice, and any customs paperwork if the next leg is non-Schengen.