Exterior Dry Wash at Klagenfurt (LOWK)

What changes at Klagenfurt?

Klagenfurt sits at 1472 feet elevation, 2.8 kilometres north-north-east of the city centre, with a 2720-metre paved runway (10L/28R) and a 710-metre grass strip. The airport operates Monday to Friday 05:45–23:30, Saturday 05:45–22:00 and Sunday 07:00–23:30 local; outside these windows the field is closed, and customs, immigration and fuelling shut down with it. Night curfews apply, so any detailing work—including a dry wash—must be scheduled inside the operating hours or arranged in advance with the airport.

General aviation uses the GAC (General Aviation Center) with its own bitumen apron (PCN 22/F/B/W/T) and security control at Tor 1. Handling is airport-operated through Klagenfurt Airport GAC handling (Kärntner Flughafen Betriebsgesellschaft m.b.H.); PPR and coordination run through gac@airport-klagenfurt.at. Fire category is CAT 7; CAT 8 requires 24 hours' notice via the same PPR channel. The airport is IATA Level 2—schedules facilitated but not coordinated—and general aviation is exempt from facilitation, so slots are not a constraint for business jets.

For a detailing crew, this means every job happens airside at the GAC apron during daylight or evening hours, the handler expects advance notice and an airside escort, and any recurring programme needs to respect the nightly closure. Water use on the apron is governed by local environmental rules, which is why waterless methods suit this field.

How does a waterless exterior clean work on the GAC apron?

We arrive at your stand with trolleys of aviation-approved rinseless product, microfibre cloths and degreaser. The aircraft stays on the apron; no tow to a wash bay, no hoses, no runoff into the drainage system. One technician works each large surface—port fuselage, starboard fuselage, wings, empennage—spraying a panel at a time, loosening contaminants with the fluid, then lifting them away with clean microfibre in overlapping passes. Bug strikes on the leading edges and radome come off with a dedicated bug remover; exhaust soot around the tailcone and APU outlet is treated with a stronger dilution; hydraulic mist and oil film on the belly and inside the gear bays are degreased separately.

Exterior windows and lights are cleaned last, using a separate set of cloths to avoid scratching. Any brightwork—unpainted leading edges, nacelle lips—receives a light polish if oxidation or staining is visible. The process generates no wastewater, so it complies with apron environmental restrictions and can be performed while the handler is refuelling on the opposite side. Duration runs three to eight hours depending on fuselage length and the degree of soiling; a super-midsize typically takes four to five hours, an ultra-long-range six to eight.

What does the handler expect from a third-party detailing crew at Klagenfurt?

Klagenfurt Airport GAC handling operates the GAC terminal and apron, so every third-party service provider—including a detailing crew—needs PPR, an airside escort or individual airside passes, and a clear scope of work. We send the handler our company details, insurance certificate, technician names and expected arrival time at least 48 hours before the slot. On the day, the handler meets us at Tor 1 security control, escorts us to the stand, and logs our presence in the apron movement record.

The handler also wants to know whether we need GPU or air-conditioning left running (we usually do not, since a dry wash is an exterior-only service with doors closed), how long the aircraft will be occupied, and when it will be free for departure checks. If your turnaround includes fuelling, catering and a cabin clean, the handler will sequence all suppliers; a dry wash can often run in parallel with fuelling on a wide apron, but on a tight stand we work after the bowser leaves. Clear communication with the handling agent keeps the turnaround on schedule and avoids apron congestion, especially during the evening push before the 23:30 closure on weekdays.

Does a dry wash suit recurring work at Klagenfurt or only one-off cleans?

Both. For flight departments with a regular Klagenfurt rotation—seasonal positioning into the Alps, a weekly charter programme, or a home base for an Austrian-registered aircraft—a dry wash every two to four weeks keeps the exterior presentable without the cost or complexity of a full decon and polish. Recurring work also builds familiarity with the handler and the apron layout, so each visit becomes faster and smoother. We store notes on your aircraft's finish, any sensitive decals or custom paint, and the preferred turnaround sequence, then replicate that process each time you return.

One-off cleans work equally well: an aircraft arriving dusty from a North African leg, a jet picking up hydraulic mist after a long Atlantic crossing, or a pre-sale tidy before a demonstration flight. Because the service requires no fixed infrastructure—no wash bay, no water hookup—we can mobilise to Klagenfurt for a single visit, coordinate with the handler, complete the work inside the operating window, and demobilise the same day. The photo report travels with the aircraft, so the next crew or the purchaser's inspector sees a documented clean in the tech log.

How do you fit a dry wash between legs at Klagenfurt?

Timing depends on whether the aircraft is making a quick turn or staying overnight—though 'overnight' at Klagenfurt means inside the operating hours, since the airport closes every night. For a two-hour turnaround, a dry wash is usually too slow unless the exterior is only lightly soiled and you accept a fuselage-and-wings-only clean (which we can do in 90 minutes on a super-midsize). For a four-hour ground stop, we can complete a full exterior if we start as soon as the engines shut down and the handler gives us apron access.

The longer the ground time, the more thorough the clean. An aircraft arriving mid-morning and departing late afternoon gives us six to eight hours, enough for a careful belly degrease, brightwork polish and a second pass on any stubborn exhaust staining. If the jet is remaining on the GAC apron until the following day, we can work a split shift—fuselage and wings in the afternoon, belly and gear overnight (within operating hours), final inspection and windows in the morning—so the crew returns to a completely clean aircraft. Coordination with your handler and your departure slot ensures the wash never delays push-back.

What documentation do you provide after an exterior dry wash?

Every dry wash closes with a written report and a set of time-stamped photographs: overall views from four angles (nose, tail, port, starboard), close-ups of the leading edges, nacelles, belly and any area that needed extra attention, and detail shots of the brightwork and exterior windows. The photos prove the condition of the aircraft when we finished, which matters for insurance, pre-purchase inspections, and your own maintenance records. We also note the products used, the ambient temperature, any defects observed (paint chips, cracks in windows, fluid leaks), and the names of the technicians who performed the work.

The report is emailed to the chief pilot or flight-department manager within two hours of completion, and a printed copy can be left in the cockpit or with the handler if you prefer. If you operate under an SMS or a fleet appearance programme, the report slots directly into your scheduled-maintenance documentation. For one-off cleans, it serves as proof of service and a baseline for the next detailing cycle. We keep a digital copy for three years, so if a question arises months later—'Was the belly degreased in Klagenfurt or in Munich?'—we can pull the file and confirm exactly what was done.