Complete Detail at Alghero Fertilia (LIEA)

What changes at Alghero Fertilia for a multi-day detail?

The airport sits at 87 feet elevation on the coast, with a single 3,000-metre runway that accommodates everything from turboprops to ultra-long-range jets without MTOW concerns. Traffic is concentrated in the summer route season—leisure carriers dominate the schedule—so apron availability and handler workload shift noticeably between June and September. Outside the peak, stands are easier to secure for the two to five days a complete detail requires.

SO.GE.A.AL S.p.A. manages the airport and is the point of contact for apron access; no independent FBO could be verified at the field. That means your handler coordinates airside passes, GPU supply and stand allocation directly with the operator. If you plan to leave the aircraft on stand for several days, confirm parking fees and any movement requirements in advance—seasonal ramp congestion can force repositioning even for pre-arranged slots.

The coastal location brings salt and dust. Paint decontamination and a single-stage polish are not cosmetic luxuries here; they reverse the film that builds up during Mediterranean operations. Brightwork oxidises faster in marine air, and cabin surfaces collect fine particulate from open doors during turnarounds at smaller fields. A complete detail before a sale or pre-buy inspection ensures the aircraft presents as maintained, not merely cleaned.

How do you arrange apron access and hangar time at Alghero?

Because no independent FBO operates at LIEA, your handling agent liaises with SO.GE.A.AL for stand allocation, airside escort and any hangar access. Terso coordinates with the handler you nominate—or the one already supporting your operation—so that our crew arrives with valid airside passes and a clear understanding of where the aircraft will sit. If hangar space is available and the weather forecast is stable, we can work on the apron under a canopy; for a full decon-and-polish cycle, enclosed space is preferable.

Handlers present at the airport will expect a formal request at least 48 hours ahead, particularly in summer when apron slots tighten. Include the registration, MTOW, estimated arrival and departure, and the fact that a third-party detailing crew will need escorted access for two to five consecutive days. The handler will confirm whether the stand can remain assigned or whether the aircraft must be towed between sessions. If you are combining the detail with scheduled maintenance at a nearby MRO, coordinate the handover in the tech log so that our final inspection does not overlap with panel access or engine runs.

What does the complete-detail process look like over several days?

Day one begins with a walk-around photographic report: leading edges, belly, nacelles, gear bays, winglets, the cheat line and any area where paint or brightwork has degraded. We then perform a rinseless exterior wash to remove loose contamination, followed by clay-bar decontamination to lift bonded particles—industrial fallout, insect residue, exhaust staining—that washing alone will not clear. Once the paint is clean at the molecular level, we apply a single-stage polish by hand or machine, depending on the surface and the degree of oxidation.

Brightwork—windscreen surrounds, nacelle lips, control-surface hinges—is polished separately using non-abrasive compounds safe for anodised and bare aluminium. Cabin detailing runs in parallel: we vacuum, steam-clean or dry-clean seats and carpets according to OEM material codes, wipe every hard surface with pH-neutral agents, treat leather with conditioner, and disinfect high-touch areas in the galley, lavatory and flight deck. Avionics, circuit-breaker panels and the glareshield are wiped no-touch with microfibre and approved solution.

The final day is reserved for inspection and a second photographic pass. You receive a digital report showing before-and-after images of each area, which is useful for pre-buy documentation or fleet records. If the aircraft is due to depart immediately after sign-off, we coordinate timing with your handler so that the detail is complete, the tech log is closed and the aircraft is fuelled without an extra night of parking fees.

When should you schedule a complete detail at Alghero Fertilia?

Complete Detail is the service to book before a sale, a pre-buy inspection, an annual audit or the start of a busy charter season. It is not a turnaround wash; it is a two-to-five-day restoration that returns the aircraft to reference condition. Operators typically schedule it once or twice a year, often at a seasonal base where the aircraft will sit for maintenance or crew changes anyway.

Alghero works well for owners who keep their jets in the western Mediterranean during summer and want the aircraft detailed before repositioning north in autumn. The long runway and coastal location make it a logical fuel stop between southern Europe and North Africa; if you were already planning a tech stop, adding three days for a complete detail is more efficient than ferrying to a dedicated MRO hub. Conversely, if you are preparing the aircraft for sale, Alghero's resort traffic means brokers and potential buyers may already be familiar with the field, and a detailed jet on the ramp signals that the maintenance has been equally thorough.

What does the handler need to know about a third-party detailing crew?

Handlers at Alghero—working through SO.GE.A.AL—will ask for the names, passport or ID numbers, and employer details of anyone requiring an airside pass. Terso provides that list as soon as you confirm the dates. The handler will also want to know whether we need GPU or APU run-time for cabin access, whether potable water and waste services should be scheduled mid-detail, and whether the aircraft will be opened overnight or secured after each shift.

If you are using a canopy or external lighting on the apron, the handler must approve the setup with the airport operator; some fields restrict equipment that could interfere with taxiway sight lines or ground radar. For hangar work, confirm door dimensions and tug availability if the aircraft must be moved in and out daily. Handlers appreciate a single point of contact—usually the chief pilot or flight-department manager—so that questions about access, timing or invoice coding do not bounce between the operator, the detail crew and the handler's ops desk.

How do you integrate a complete detail with the rest of the trip?

Most operators schedule the detail during a planned down period: between charter legs, during a crew change, or while waiting for a part to arrive for scheduled maintenance. If the aircraft is AOG for an unrelated issue, a complete detail can run in parallel once the tech log is cleared and the aircraft is released back to service. The key is to notify your handler and our crew as early as possible so that airside passes, stand assignments and any hangar bookings are locked in before you arrive.

If you are departing Alghero immediately after the detail, plan for a morning sign-off so that fuelling, flight planning and slot coordination happen in daylight. Seasonal afternoon wind can delay departures, and summer traffic increases the chance of a PPR or a revised slot. We hand over the photographic report digitally—no paper binder—so you can forward it to your broker, your fleet manager or your insurance underwriter from the cockpit. The aircraft leaves the stand polished, disinfected and documented, ready for the next leg or the next owner.