Full Interior Detail at Alghero Fertilia (LIEA)

What changes at Alghero Fertilia for a full interior detail?

Alghero Fertilia sits at 87 feet on Sardinia's north-west shoreline, its single 3,000-metre runway serving a seasonal leisure market that peaks sharply in summer. The airport is managed by SO.GE.A.AL S.p.A., the operator who also controls apron access; no independent handling agents could be verified, so all airside coordination runs through the airport authority. That structure means arranging a stand, GPU and escort requires direct liaison with SO.GE.A.AL, and lead times lengthen during the July–August rush when airline turnarounds dominate the schedule.

Summer traffic brings Mediterranean dust, sea salt and the kind of passenger volume—beach bags, sandy shoes, sunscreen residue—that accelerates cabin wear. A full interior detail here addresses every surface: we extract grit from carpets, lift salt film from veneer, condition leather that has dried under cabin loads, and scrub galley drains that collect sand tracked in from the coast. The long runway accommodates ultra-long-range jets without weight penalty, but the seasonal pulse means slots tighten and apron space shrinks between June and September, making advance booking essential if you want uninterrupted access and a predictable departure time.

How does airside access work for a cabin detail at LIEA?

Because Alghero Fertilia operates without a dedicated general-aviation terminal or independent FBO, every detail begins with a request to SO.GE.A.AL for stand allocation and airside passes. We submit crew details, aircraft registration and estimated duration—typically four to ten hours depending on cabin configuration—at least 48 hours before arrival, longer in high season. The airport authority issues temporary escort or validates our existing passes, then assigns a remote stand or, occasionally, a position near the terminal apron if commercial traffic permits.

Once the aircraft is on stand and the tech log signed, we bring our kit—extractor, vacuum, leather-care products, microfibre cloths, aviation-safe solvents—directly to the cabin door. Ground power keeps the cabin lit and the air-conditioning running, which matters during summer when ambient temperatures climb and closed cabins turn into greenhouses. If you arrive without prior arrangement the airport can still accommodate the work, but expect delays while the operator processes the request, finds a stand and clears our team through security; that uncertainty often costs you half a day and pushes your next leg into the evening or the following morning.

What does the full interior detail include, panel by panel?

We start at the cabin door and work aft, treating every material to its own process. Leather seats and divans are vacuumed, wiped with pH-neutral cleaner to lift oils and stains, then conditioned with a product that restores suppleness without leaving a greasy film; we pay particular attention to armrests, headrests and seat edges where wear concentrates. Carpets and fabric upholstery go under hot-water extraction: we pre-treat stains—wine, coffee, mud—then pull embedded dirt and moisture back out, leaving fibres clean and only slightly damp so they dry within two hours under GPU air.

Veneer, metal and plastic trim receive a polish matched to the finish: high-gloss panels get a gentle compound, satin wood a dry buff, anodised metal a wipe-down that removes fingerprints without scratching. Galley and lavatory surfaces are scrubbed with disinfectant, drains flushed, seals inspected for mould, and mirrors polished until they show no streaks. The flight deck is cleaned with no-touch procedures around avionics, static ports and pitot covers: we vacuum around pedals, wipe yokes and throttles, clean instrument bezels and polish windscreens inside and out. If you request cabin disinfection we fog the interior with an aviation-approved biocide after the mechanical clean, then ventilate for thirty minutes before you board.

How long does a full interior take, and can it fit between legs?

Duration swings from four hours in a light-midsize six-seater to ten in an ACJ with multiple zones, a full galley and two lavatories. A typical super-midsize cabin—eight seats, single galley, one lav—takes six hours if the interior is moderately soiled, longer if we are lifting months of charter wear or treating stubborn stains. We can compress the schedule by adding a second technician, but the work still needs dwell time: leather conditioner must penetrate, carpets must dry, and we will not hand back a cabin with damp upholstery that will smell sour by the time you reach cruise.

Fitting the detail between legs depends on your turnaround window and the airport's summer rhythm. If you land mid-morning with an evening departure, six hours on stand is feasible; if you arrive late afternoon the detail rolls into the next day unless you accept a night shift, which we can arrange with prior notice. Alghero Fertilia's seasonal traffic means daytime slots are easier to protect in April, May, late September and October, when the apron is quieter and the airport operator can leave you on stand without pressure to vacate for an inbound airline service.

What does the Sardinian coast do to the cabin between details?

Salt-laden air drifts inland from the Mediterranean and settles as a fine haze on every surface: window surrounds, seat leather, galley counters, even the flight-deck glareshield. That haze is hygroscopic—it pulls moisture from the air—so leather feels tacky, metal trim tarnishes faster, and any spillage becomes sticky within hours. Passengers tracking in from the beach bring sand that works into carpet pile and seat seams, then migrates through the cabin with every footstep and air current; a week of charter flights can deposit enough grit to audibly crunch underfoot.

Sunscreen, tanning oils and perspiration transfer from skin to seat leather, leaving oily patches that darken over time if not cleaned and conditioned. Galley drains collect organic matter—food scraps, beverage residue—that ferments quickly in warm weather, producing odours that permeate the cabin. A monthly full interior detail keeps ahead of these processes: we extract the salt and sand, lift the oils, flush the drains and restore the cabin to a state where the next owner trip or charter client steps aboard without encountering the previous week's wear.

What documentation and photos do you provide after the detail?

Every full interior detail closes with a written report and a digital photo set. The report lists each task completed—leather conditioned, carpets extracted, galley deep-cleaned, flight deck wiped—and notes any findings: a torn seat seam, a stained panel that needs OEM replacement, a drain seal beginning to crack. The photo set includes before and after shots of high-wear areas—armrests, galley counters, lavatory sinks—and wide angles of the cabin to document overall condition. We timestamp and geotag the images, then send the package by email within two hours of finishing; you can forward it to the owner, file it in the tech log or use it to justify the expense on the next invoice.

If you are operating under an SMS or a fleet quality programme the documentation serves as objective evidence that the cabin was maintained to standard at this rotation. Some charter operators request the report before the next client boards, using it to demonstrate cleanliness and care; others keep a running file to track cabin condition across a season and identify when deeper refurbishment is warranted. We store a copy for twelve months, so if a question arises weeks later—did we treat that stain, did we note that scratch—we can pull the record and confirm exactly what was done on stand at Alghero Fertilia.