Cabin Disinfection at Sion (LSGS)

Why disinfect at Sion rather than your home base?

Charter operators running consecutive legs into the Alps often find it more practical to disinfect here than to carry contamination home. A ski-season rotation might see three or four different passenger groups in a week; sanitising the cabin between clients protects your reputation and keeps the aircraft ready for immediate dispatch. Medical or repatriation flights – which do route through Sion – require disinfection before the next commercial leg, and the certificate we issue satisfies most insurance and health-authority requirements.

For fleet operators with a permanent Sion presence during the winter, cabin disinfection slots into the overnight or between-legs maintenance window. The alternative – ferrying the aircraft back to a main base solely for sanitisation – costs you a cycle, fuel and crew duty time. One-off requests are equally common: an unexpected spill, smoke odour from a diversion, or a passenger illness that leaves you needing a documented decon before the next charter.

What changes at Sion?

Sion sits at 1,582 feet in the Rhône Valley, with a single 2,000-metre paved runway (07/25) and a 660-metre grass strip. The aerodrome closes at the end of daylight: administration hours run from 05:00 Zulu to a maximum of 18:00 Zulu in summer (April to September) and from 07:00 Zulu to 19:00 Zulu in winter (October to March), but actual closure tracks sunset. Flights outside those hours require PPR and services are on request. FBOs – Signature and Alpinejet – staff their terminals from 07:00 to 20:00 local in summer and from 08:00 to nightfall in winter, so the working day compresses as the season turns.

The short winter daylight window means disinfection often moves to the overnight slot or to the morning before the first departure. Hangar space is available for aircraft up to 77,000 kilograms (A320 type); Signature operates a 67,200-square-foot hangar and Alpinejet offers storage. Working under cover is faster when the apron is wet or when overnight frost lingers on the airframe. Customs and immigration are on site during administration hours. Airside ramp access is controlled – 24-hour surveillance, secure entry via the FBO, and airport ID cards require a police record extract – so we coordinate entry and escort in advance of every job.

How does the process work on the ramp?

Once the aircraft is on stand and the GPU connected, we board with aviation-approved disinfectants, microfibre cloths and odour-neutralising agents. Every high-touch surface is treated: seat controls, armrests, latches, tray tables, galley handles, lavatory fixtures, door handles, overhead-bin releases, air vents and gaspers. We avoid no-touch avionics and follow OEM cabin-material guidance for leather, Alcantara, wood veneer and composite panels. The air path – vents, gaspers, any accessible ducting – receives attention if odour is present or if the brief calls for it.

Odour and smoke neutralisation use enzyme-based or activated-charcoal treatments rather than masking fragrances; the goal is elimination, not perfume. If the source is localized – galley, lavatory, a specific seat – we treat that area first and allow dwell time before a final wipe-down. Duration is one to two hours depending on cabin size and the extent of odour work. We issue a certificate of treatment on completion, listing the disinfectants used, the areas treated and the date. That certificate travels with the tech log or stays with your flight-department records.

Can you fit disinfection between morning and afternoon legs?

Yes, provided the turnaround window is at least two hours gate-to-gate. A typical ski-season day at Sion might see an inbound arrival at 10:00 local and an outbound departure at 14:00; that leaves time for disinfection, a galley restock and a walk-around. We start as soon as the cabin is clear and the GPU is on. If the slot is tighter – say, 90 minutes – we can prioritise high-touch surfaces and skip the full odour treatment, but the certificate will note the abbreviated scope.

Winter daylight constraints mean afternoon departures bunch toward the closure window, so morning arrivals often request disinfection immediately on block-in to free the aircraft for a mid-afternoon departure. Coordination with the handler is essential: if customs or immigration are delayed, or if the apron is busy with other movements, the start time slips. We stay in contact with your crew and the FBO throughout to protect the departure slot.

What about recurring disinfection for a fleet programme?

Fleet operators with multiple aircraft rotating through Sion during the ski season – December to March, sometimes extending into April – often schedule disinfection as a standing overnight task. The rhythm is predictable: aircraft arrive in the evening, disinfection happens before the FBO closes or first thing in the morning, and the jet is ready for the first departure after 08:00 local. We invoice monthly and coordinate directly with your flight-department manager or chief pilot, so individual crews do not handle paperwork on the ramp.

Recurring work also lets us pre-position materials and streamline airside access. If your fleet includes a mix of types – a Challenger, a Global, a Falcon – we adapt the checklist and the disinfectant choice to each cabin layout and material specification. Certificates of treatment are issued after every session and filed electronically with your records department. One-off requests from the same fleet – an unscheduled charter leg, a medical flight – slot into the same process without renegotiating access or pricing.

What happens if the aircraft is cold-soaked or the apron is frozen?

Sion's elevation and valley location mean overnight temperatures often drop below freezing from November through March. A cold-soaked cabin – especially after a night on the ramp – presents two problems: disinfectant efficacy falls when surfaces are near freezing, and moisture from cleaning can freeze on contact. If the cabin temperature is below five degrees Celsius, we either wait for the APU or GPU to warm the interior or move the aircraft into a hangar.

Signature's 67,200-square-foot hangar and Alpinejet's storage space are both available for visiting aircraft, and hangar time is often already in the handling quote for winter overnight stops. Working inside eliminates weather delays and lets us complete the full odour-neutralisation process without rushing before the next cold front arrives. If hangar space is not available and the cabin is too cold, we defer the work to the next station or recommend an exterior dry wash only, leaving the cabin for a warmer day.