Cabin Disinfection at Catania Fontanarossa (LICC)

What changes at Catania Fontanarossa?

Catania sits at 39 feet elevation, 4.3 kilometres from the city centre, with a single 2560-metre runway (08/26). It is Sicily's busiest airport and fully slot-coordinated under Assoclearance Level 3 rules; every general-aviation movement requires a slot arranged through your handling agent. That coordination shapes the sanitisation schedule: we confirm the treatment window as soon as your handler secures the slot and stand assignment, so there is no delay when you arrive.

Mount Etna's volcanic ash is the recurring operational issue. Short closures or diversions happen periodically—usually resolved within a day—but ash fallout on parked aircraft is a persistent cleaning problem. If your jet has been on stand during an ash event, we inspect the cabin air intakes and external vents before beginning the interior treatment; ash infiltration through the environmental system can recontaminate a freshly disinfected cabin. Customs and airport-of-entry facilities are available, so international positioning flights are straightforward.

How is the disinfection documented?

Every treatment generates a certificate that lists the disinfectant product, batch number, application method and the date and time of completion. We photograph each zone—forward cabin, galley, lavatory, aft divan or crew rest if fitted—before and after the work, and the images are attached to the digital report sent to the flight department within two hours of sign-off. If your operation requires a specific format for the certificate or additional fields for compliance tracking, send the template when you book; we adapt the paperwork to match your SMS or charter audit requirements.

Photo documentation also protects you if a passenger raises a cleanliness concern after the flight. The timestamped images prove the condition of the cabin at handover, and the certificate confirms which surfaces were treated. For fleet programmes with recurring disinfection, we keep a twelve-month archive of all reports so you can pull historical data for an audit or incident investigation.

What does the disinfection process include?

We wipe every high-touch surface with aviation-approved disinfectant: seat controls, armrests, table latches, galley counters, lavatory handles, door switches and the surrounds of every air vent and gasper. The product is selected for material compatibility—no damage to leather, Alcantara, veneer or soft-touch plastics—and for efficacy against bacteria, viruses and fungi. After the wipe-down, we treat the air path: vents, gaspers and the visible portions of the environmental ducting receive a light mist to address biofilm and odour sources inside the system.

Odour and smoke neutralisation is included. If the cabin smells of catering, fuel, hydraulic fluid or tobacco, we apply an enzyme-based neutraliser that breaks down the odour molecules rather than masking them with fragrance. The treatment works on soft furnishings, carpets and headliners. We do not touch avionics, flight-deck instruments or any panel with a 'no cleaning' placard; if the cockpit requires disinfection, we work around the sensitive equipment and document the exclusions in the report.

How does recurring work differ from a one-off disinfection at Catania?

A one-off treatment is scheduled as a standalone event: you provide the arrival time and turnaround window, we coordinate with the handler for airside access and stand location, and the crew meets the aircraft. The process is straightforward but requires lead time for the slot-coordinated environment and for arranging the escort if we do not hold a current airside pass for Catania.

Recurring disinfection—common for charter fleets, fractional programmes or corporate shuttles that return to Sicily regularly—runs on a fixed schedule tied to your flight plan. We pre-position the equipment and chemicals, maintain standing coordination with the handling agents present at the airport, and reduce the per-treatment cost because the mobilisation overhead is spread across multiple visits. The handler expects a third-party crew to arrive with a confirmed work order, a list of tasks that do not interfere with refuelling or catering, and a realistic estimate of the time required on stand. For recurring work, those expectations are met automatically because the process is documented and repeated.

What do handlers expect from a third-party cleaning crew at a slot-coordinated airport?

Handlers at Catania want certainty: they need to know when you will arrive on the apron, how long you will occupy the stand and whether your work will delay the next departure slot. We provide that certainty by submitting a detailed work order before the aircraft lands, listing every task, the number of crew and the estimated duration. If the disinfection must happen in parallel with refuelling or catering, we specify which zones we will treat first so the handler can sequence the ground services without conflict.

Airside access is the second expectation. We either hold a valid pass for the airport or arrange an escort through the handler; you are never asked to sponsor our access or to wait while we resolve a documentation issue. The handler also expects us to leave the stand clean—no wipes, gloves or chemical containers left on the apron—and to sign off in the ground-services log so there is a record of the work for their internal audit. Meeting these expectations consistently is why handlers continue to grant us access and why your turnaround stays on schedule.

When should you schedule cabin disinfection?

Charter operators typically request disinfection after every revenue flight, particularly if the passengers are unknown or if the leg carried a large group. Medical flights—air ambulance or repatriation—always require a full disinfection before the aircraft returns to commercial service, and we carry the products and documentation that meet the stricter standards for biohazard exposure. Long-haul flights, even if private, benefit from a post-flight treatment because the extended time in a closed cabin allows bacteria and odours to accumulate on surfaces and in the air path.

For based aircraft or fleet programmes, disinfection is often scheduled on a calendar interval—every seven or fourteen days—regardless of flight activity, to maintain a baseline level of hygiene and to address odours before they become entrenched. If your jet has been parked at Catania during a volcanic ash event, an interior inspection and disinfection should happen before the next passenger flight, because ash infiltration can leave a fine dust on seats and tables that passengers will notice immediately.