Cabin Disinfection at Split Kaštela (LDSP)

What changes at Split Kaštela for cabin-disinfection turnarounds?

Split Kaštela sits 78 feet above sea level on Kaštela Bay, twenty kilometres from the city, with a single 2,550-metre asphalt runway (05/23, code 4E). The coastal, salt-air environment and July reference temperature of 29 °C mean cabin interiors can heat quickly on stand, especially when GPU is delayed or unavailable.

Between late March and late October the airport operates as Schedules Facilitated around the clock. General and business aviation must agree arrival and departure times with the Traffic Coordinator or Ground OPS Centre no earlier than fourteen days before the flight. Stopovers longer than forty minutes are subject to parking-stand availability, and aircraft without confirmed slots and parking can be refused landing. That compressed window shapes how we plan every disinfection: you tell us your agreed parking time, we confirm the handler has accepted third-party access, and we arrive airside with equipment and consumables ready. If your stopover is under forty minutes we treat the cabin as a fast turnaround; anything longer we schedule as a fixed-slot service with odour-neutralisation time built in.

How does airside access work with handling agents at Split?

Handling agents present at the airport control ramp access and escort requirements. We hold our own airside passes but always notify the handler named on your flight plan at least twenty-four hours ahead—earlier during peak summer weeks when stand allocation is tightest. The handler confirms parking location, GPU availability and any movement restrictions; we send them our crew list, vehicle registration and estimated time on stand.

On the day we check in at the handler's operations desk, collect the escort if required, and drive to your stand. The cabin door is opened by your crew or the handler's staff; we never operate latches ourselves. If you are running a charter programme through Split with back-to-back legs, the handler will usually issue a standing airside approval for the series, which speeds every subsequent turnaround. One-off positioning flights or owner trips still require individual coordination, but the process is straightforward provided we receive your slot confirmation and handler name in good time.

What does the disinfection cover inside the cabin?

We treat every surface a passenger or crew member touches: seat cushions, armrests, headrests, seatbelt latches, tray tables, window shades, side-ledge stowage, control panels and reading-light switches. In the galley we disinfect counter tops, drawer handles, the coffee-maker face, the oven door and the refrigerator seal. Lavatory work includes the toilet seat and lid, flush button, taps, door handle and the vanity surround. We wipe down all cabin-door handles, the main-aisle handrails if fitted, and the cockpit-door handle on the cabin side when the flight deck is open.

Air-path treatment covers every visible gasper, the face of overhead vents and the return-air grilles in the cabin sidewalls or floor. We do not disinfect avionics, flight-deck screens or any no-touch equipment; if you want the cockpit sanitised we treat yokes, throttles, switch guards and the centre pedestal under supervision. Odour and smoke neutralisation uses a vapour or aerosol generator left running in the sealed cabin for fifteen to thirty minutes, then ventilated. You receive a certificate of treatment noting the disinfectant batch, the areas covered and the date, ready for your tech log or compliance file.

Can you fit cabin disinfection into a forty-minute turnaround at Split?

A full disinfection—surfaces, air path, odour treatment and ventilation—takes between sixty and ninety minutes on a super-midsize cabin. If your agreed parking window is only forty minutes, we prioritise high-touch surfaces (seats, galley, lavatory) and skip the odour generator, bringing the service down to thirty-five minutes so the handler has time to refuel and your crew can complete their walk-around. You still receive the certificate, noting which areas were treated.

For longer stopovers we run the complete protocol: surface disinfection first, then seal the cabin and deploy the odour neutraliser while we clean the exterior of door handles and the air-stair if you have one. After the dwell time we ventilate with GPU or APU air, wipe down the gaspers a final time and hand the aircraft back. If your slot allows two hours on stand, there is margin for a dry wash of the fuselage or a vacuum of the cabin floor before disinfection; let us know when you request the slot so we can propose a combined schedule to the handler.

Is disinfection part of a fleet programme or a one-off charter service?

Both models work at Split. One-off requests—positioning flights, owner trips, ad-hoc charters needing a health certificate—are scheduled as single events; you send us the flight plan, slot confirmation and handler name, we quote a fixed price and coordinate directly with the handling agent. The aircraft is treated once, the certificate issued, and the invoice closed.

Fleet and charter programmes treat disinfection as a recurring line item. If you run a weekly charter rotation through Split in summer, we agree a rate for the season, pre-clear airside access with the handler for the series, and turn up on stand for every inbound leg without repeated paperwork. The handler knows our vehicle, our crew and the routine; your chief pilot or dispatcher sends us the updated schedule each week, and we confirm each turnaround twenty-four hours out. Certificates are batched monthly for your records. The programme rate reflects the predictable volume and the standing access arrangement, so per-service cost drops compared to one-off pricing. Most of our Split work during the Facilitated season is programme-based, because the slot-coordination overhead makes recurring visits far more efficient than single callouts.

What do handlers expect from a third-party disinfection crew on the ramp?

Handlers want three things: advance notice, proof of insurance and no interference with their own turnaround tasks. We send them our liability certificate, crew names and vehicle details at least a day ahead. On stand we stay clear of refuelling operations, never walk under an open engine cowl or near a running APU, and keep our kit—spray bottles, wipes, the odour generator—inside the cabin or in our vehicle, not scattered on the apron.

If the handler is also cleaning the cabin they will tell us whether to work simultaneously (we take the galley and lavatory, they vacuum and wipe seats) or in sequence (they finish, we disinfect). We follow their call. When the handler's ground-power cable is still connected we do not touch the GPU cart or the aircraft's external power receptacle. If we need the cabin door opened or closed we ask the handler or your crew; we do not operate latches, air-stairs or any aircraft system. At Split, where stand time is tightly managed and every minute counts against your slot, that discipline keeps the turnaround on schedule and the handler confident that a third-party crew will not delay pushback.