Complete Detail at Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes (LFTW)

Why choose a complete detail at this airport?

Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes sits on the Costières plain nine kilometres south-southeast of the city, where the reference temperature reaches 33.1 °C and summer heat is dry and relentless. Paint oxidises faster under sustained ultraviolet exposure, and brightwork dulls; cabin surfaces—especially leather around the entry and galley—accumulate oils, dust and the fine particulate that blows in from the surrounding agricultural plain. A complete detail addresses all three: it decontaminates the paint with a clay bar or chemical wash, follows with a single-stage machine polish to restore gloss and remove light marring, then treats all exterior brightwork and completes a full interior detail with disinfection.

The service is scheduled once or twice a year for aircraft in regular use, and always before a pre-buy inspection, delivery acceptance or sale. It resets the aircraft to a known, documented condition, and the photographic report that accompanies the work provides a baseline for the new owner or for your own records when the aircraft re-enters service after a period on the ground.

What changes at Nîmes-Alès-Camargue-Cévennes?

The airport operates a single concrete runway—18/36, 2,443 metres, PCN 63—at an elevation of 309 feet. Business and general aviation handling is run by the airport operator Edeis through its operations office; ExecuJet, part of the Luxaviation group, is the FBO partner, and all personalised requests go to the Edeis ops team at nimes.ops@edeis.com or on 131.7 MHz. Apron capacity is limited: three remote stands share 52,875 square metres, and the AIP states that both IFR and VFR aircraft wishing to stop over are admitted only with prior Edeis authorisation. For a multi-day detailing session, parking must be arranged with Edeis ops well in advance.

The Mediterranean climate means summer days are hot and dry—ideal for curing sealants and coatings, less so for working paint by hand in direct sun. We schedule exterior polish work for early morning or move the aircraft into the hangar. Winter is mild, though mistral winds can carry dust; a final rinse or dry-wash pass is sometimes added on delivery day if the aircraft has stood overnight. The photographic report captures the state of the paint and cabin both before we start and after the final inspection, so any environmental effects—pollen dusting, for example—are documented.

How does the complete-detail process work on the ramp at Nîmes?

The process begins with a walk-around and the initial photo set: we record the condition of the paint, brightwork, leading edges, belly, gear bays and cabin before any work begins. The aircraft is then washed using a dry or rinseless method—water restrictions or ramp rules sometimes apply, and Edeis ops will confirm what is permitted on the stand. Once clean, we decontaminate the paint with a clay bar or chemical decon solution to lift embedded contamination—tree sap, industrial fallout, insect residue—that washing alone cannot remove.

Next comes the single-stage machine polish: we work each panel with a finishing pad and a fine compound, removing light oxidation, swirl marks and the haze that accumulates over months of exposure. Brightwork—nacelle rings, door handles, windscreen surrounds—is polished by hand, and leading edges are inspected for impact damage and cleaned. While the exterior cures, the cabin team completes the full interior detail: vacuuming, leather conditioning, galley and lavatory deep-clean, window polishing and disinfection of all high-touch surfaces. The final photo set is taken in good light, and both sets are delivered as a PDF report with the aircraft's tech log entry.

What about recurring work versus one-off visits?

Operators who base at Nîmes or return regularly—charter fleets, corporate shuttles, seasonal positioning—often schedule a complete detail at the start of the summer or winter programme, then follow with lighter turnarounds (dry wash, interior refresh) between trips. The complete detail resets the baseline; the lighter visits maintain it. For a one-off visit—an aircraft passing through for maintenance, a pre-buy inspection or a sale—we treat the session as a standalone project, with all communication routed through Edeis ops and the handler to ensure stand availability, GPU, airside escort and any cold-weather or hot-weather precautions.

Recurring customers benefit from familiarity: we know the aircraft's paint history, any areas of concern flagged in previous reports, and the cabin materials. One-off visits require a longer initial walk-around and sometimes a call with the chief pilot or maintenance controller to understand the aircraft's recent operating environment—whether it has flown through industrial zones, coastal salt air or dust storms—so we can tailor the decontamination and polish steps accordingly.

How do access and airside logistics work for a multi-day session?

Because apron capacity is limited and parking requires prior authorisation from Edeis, we coordinate the session timeline with the handler and the ops office as soon as the booking is confirmed. If hangar space is available and the work can be done indoors, we arrange access through Edeis; if the aircraft remains on the ramp, we confirm stand assignment, GPU availability and any movement restrictions. Our team holds airside passes and works under escort when required, and we carry all tools, compounds, polishes and disinfectants in sealed containers that meet ramp safety rules.

For a two-day session, the aircraft typically arrives in the afternoon, we complete the exterior wash and decon before sunset, then begin the polish and interior work the following morning. Longer sessions—four or five days for a large-cabin aircraft or one with significant paint correction needs—are broken into stages, with progress photos sent to the operator at the end of each day. If the aircraft must be moved to a different stand, we pack all materials, supervise the tow and resume work once the aircraft is parked and re-chocked.

What does the photographic report include, and why does it matter?

The report comprises two sets of high-resolution photographs: one taken before any work begins, showing the paint, brightwork, cabin and any areas of concern, and one taken after the final inspection, with the aircraft clean, polished and disinfected. Each image is time-stamped and labelled by section—port wing, starboard nacelle, forward cabin, galley, flight deck—and the PDF is delivered via encrypted link alongside the tech-log entry.

For a sale or pre-buy inspection, the report provides an independent record of the aircraft's appearance at handover. For your own fleet, it serves as a maintenance document: you can track paint degradation, compare brightwork condition year over year and identify any new chips, scratches or stains that appeared between details. Insurers and auditors sometimes request appearance documentation; the report satisfies that requirement. It is also a straightforward way to brief a new chief pilot or flight attendant on the aircraft's condition and the care it has received.