Complete Detail at Palermo Falcone e Borsellino (LICJ)

Why schedule a complete detail at Palermo rather than a quick turnaround?

A complete detail is not a turnaround service. It addresses the cumulative damage that dry washes and rinseless cleans cannot touch: bonded contamination in the paint, oxidation on brightwork, ingrained soil in carpets and upholstery, and microbial load in high-touch surfaces. The result is an aircraft that photographs well, passes the closest inspection and smells neutral.

Operators choose Palermo when the aircraft is already in southern Italy or Sicily for positioning, maintenance or a charter pause. The 35-km distance from Palermo city centre means the airport sits away from urban congestion, and hangar availability—coordinated through the handling agent—tends to be better than at saturated northern-European hubs. A complete detail here makes sense when you have the time and the aircraft will remain in the region long enough to justify the investment.

We deliver a photographic report before and after, which becomes part of the aircraft's maintenance narrative and is especially useful during pre-buy due diligence or when updating marketing materials for charter or sale.

What changes at Palermo Falcone e Borsellino for a multi-day detail?

The airport sits at 65 feet elevation on the coast at Punta Raisi, with two runways: 07/25 at 3,326 metres and 02/20 at 2,068 metres. The longer runway is 60 metres wide and has displaced thresholds at both ends, so it accommodates the heaviest business jets without restriction. GES.A.P. S.p.A. manages the facility, and handling agents present at the airport arrange hangar access, airside escort and GPU supply during the detail.

The 35-kilometre transfer from Palermo city centre means that any consumables, specialist products or crew accommodation require advance planning; last-minute courier runs take longer than at a downtown airport. For the aircraft, coastal humidity and salt deposition are constant: paint collects a fine saline film even inside a hangar if ventilation draws in sea air, and brightwork tarnishes faster than it would inland. Decontamination clay and a single-stage polish are often mandatory rather than optional, especially on white or light-coloured paint that shows every streak.

Hangar time is easier to secure than at Milan or Rome, but it still requires a slot booked through the handler. If your aircraft arrives on the stand and the hangar is occupied, expect to wait on the apron under covers until the space opens.

What does the complete-detail process look like on-site?

We begin with a walk-round inspection and photograph the aircraft in its arrival state: paint, brightwork, belly, gear bays, nacelles, cabin, flight deck. That record goes into the final report and protects both parties if a pre-existing defect is discovered later.

The exterior is dry-washed or rinseless-washed to remove loose soil, then clayed to pull out bonded contamination—industrial fallout, exhaust residue, tree sap. Once the paint is clean at the microscopic level, we apply a single-stage polish by hand or machine, working in sections and checking the finish under direct light. Brightwork—nacelle rings, door handles, static ports, any polished aluminium—is polished separately with metal-specific compounds. Leading edges, winglets and the cheat line receive extra attention because they show defects first.

Inside, we remove all loose items the crew permits, vacuum and pre-treat stains, then deep-clean every surface: leather, Alcantara, carpet, belts, sidewalls, galley, lavatory. High-touch areas—armrests, seat controls, touchscreens—are disinfected with an aviation-approved agent that leaves no residue on avionics or OEM cabin materials. The flight deck is cleaned around no-touch avionics, with particular care at switch panels and the glareshield.

After reassembly and a final inspection, we photograph the aircraft again and compile both sets of images into a PDF report, which is handed to the captain or emailed to the flight-department manager. The entire process takes two to five days, depending on aircraft size, paint condition and whether any remedial work—touch-up, re-glue, minor repair—is discovered and agreed during the detail.

How does Palermo's climate affect the detail and the result?

Sicily's Mediterranean climate means warm, humid air year-round and intense ultraviolet exposure from spring through autumn. Paint oxidises faster here than in northern Europe, and any wax or sealant applied during a detail will degrade more quickly under the sun. We account for this by using hydrophobic sealants with higher UV inhibitors and by recommending a follow-up exterior service within four to six months if the aircraft remains in the region.

Salt is the other constant. Even inside a hangar at Punta Raisi, salt aerosol infiltrates through ventilation and open doors. Brightwork tarnishes, and any polished surface will show a haze within weeks unless it is sealed. During a complete detail, we ensure every piece of brightwork receives a protective coat, and we advise crews to wipe nacelle rings and door handles with a damp microfibre cloth between flights.

Inside the cabin, humidity encourages mould in carpets and soft furnishings if the aircraft has been parked without climate control. Disinfection is not cosmetic; it addresses real microbial growth. If the aircraft has been cold-soaked or parked outdoors for more than a few days, we inspect the cabin for condensation stains and treat them before they become permanent.

When should an operator book a complete detail rather than separate services?

A complete detail makes financial and logistical sense when the aircraft needs comprehensive attention and you can afford the downtime. Combining exterior polish, brightwork restoration and full interior work in one visit eliminates duplicate mobilisation costs, reduces the number of handler coordination events and produces a uniform finish that separate services, performed weeks apart, cannot match.

The most common triggers are pre-buy inspections, aircraft sales, lease returns and the start of a busy charter season. In each case, the aircraft must meet a standard that a dry wash and vacuum cannot achieve. A complete detail also makes sense after a long positioning flight through industrial or agricultural regions, where the paint has collected months of bonded contamination, or after an aircraft has sat idle through a Mediterranean summer and the cabin smells stale.

If the aircraft is part of a managed fleet and visits Palermo regularly, we recommend scheduling a complete detail once or twice a year, with interim dry washes and cabin cleans between. That cadence keeps the paint in good condition, prevents brightwork from corroding beyond the point of easy restoration, and ensures the interior never reaches the state where deep cleaning becomes a multi-day emergency.

What documentation and reporting come with the service?

Every complete detail includes a photographic report: high-resolution images of the aircraft before work begins and after completion. The before shots document the arrival state—paint defects, stains, worn brightwork, cabin soil—and serve as a baseline. The after shots prove the work was completed to standard and provide a visual record for the tech log, the flight-department files or the broker's marketing package.

The report is delivered as a PDF, typically 20 to 40 pages, with timestamps and notes on any issues discovered during the detail: paint chips that need touch-up, a cracked lens, a loose seat fitting. If the operator requests it, we include close-ups of specific areas—leading edges, belly panels, gear bays—that are difficult to photograph during a routine walk-round.

For aircraft sales or pre-buy inspections, this documentation is invaluable. It shows a prospective buyer that the aircraft has been maintained to a high cosmetic standard, and it gives the seller a defensible record of condition at a specific date. The report also goes into the aircraft's permanent file, so future operators can see the maintenance narrative and understand what work was done and when.