Ceramic Coating at Trapani Birgi (LICT)

What changes at Trapani Birgi?

Trapani Birgi is a military airport open to civil traffic, home to the Italian Air Force 37th Wing, with civil operations managed by Airgest. You will encounter military traffic and controlled areas on the field, so airside escort and coordination with the military tower are part of every movement. The field sits at twenty-five feet elevation with a single runway—13R/31L, 2695 metres—more than adequate for any business jet we work on.

Traffic is strongly seasonal: the operator publishes separate summer and winter schedules, and several routes run only in the summer months. If you are planning ceramic work during the high season, expect busier apron movement and tighter stand availability; winter offers quieter conditions and often easier access to hangar space. The airport lies roughly halfway between Trapani and Marsala, fifteen kilometres from Trapani city centre, reached via the A29 motorway from Palermo. That location makes it straightforward to position crew accommodation or arrange ground transport, and the coastal setting means salt-laden air—a ceramic coating's hydrophobic barrier pays dividends here, especially on leading edges and belly panels exposed to sea spray during taxi and takeoff.

Why apply ceramic coating instead of another wash?

Every rinseless or dry wash removes dirt but does nothing to change how quickly that dirt returns. Ceramic coating cross-links with the clear coat to form a harder, smoother surface that sheds water, reduces static charge, and resists contaminants—fuel stains, exhaust soot, de-icing fluid, insect strikes, and UV degradation all have less opportunity to bond. The result is an aircraft that stays cleaner between washes and requires less aggressive chemistry when you do wash it, which extends the life of the paint system.

We recommend ceramic every two to three years, ideally after a repaint or a complete detail when the paint is already corrected. If you apply it over oxidised or contaminated paint, you lock in those defects; that is why our process begins with decontamination—clay, chemical decon, and sometimes a polish pass—so the ceramic bonds to a clean, smooth substrate. Brightwork and windows receive the same two-layer treatment, which means less polishing labour at every future turnaround and a consistent gloss across the entire airframe.

What happens during the three to six days in the hangar?

Day one is decontamination: we clay-bar the paint to lift embedded fallout, treat any fuel staining or exhaust shadowing with solvent, and inspect for scratches or oxidation that need correction. If the paint is in good condition, we move straight to a single-stage polish to refine the surface; if there are deeper marks or haze, we add a compounding step. Brightwork—nacelle lips, leading edges, gear doors—gets its own polish cycle to remove oxidation and create the mirror finish that the ceramic will seal.

Once the paint and metal are corrected, we wipe down with an isopropyl solution to remove any polish oils, then apply the first ceramic layer panel by panel, working from the top of the fuselage down. The coating flashes within minutes but needs controlled temperature and humidity to cure fully, so the aircraft remains in the hangar overnight. Day two or three, we apply the second layer using the same methodical sequence, then allow another curing window. Windows and transparencies receive a separate ceramic formulation that bonds to glass without hazing. On the final day we inspect under high-intensity light, remove any high spots, and hand you the maintenance plan and warranty document that specifies wash intervals and approved cleaning chemistry.

How does documentation work for ceramic coating?

You receive a detailed photo report that captures the aircraft before decontamination, after paint correction, immediately after each ceramic layer, and at final inspection. Those images form a baseline for the warranty and let you see exactly which panels were corrected and how the gloss improved. We also photograph any pre-existing damage—chips, scrapes, corrosion—so there is no ambiguity about what the coating can and cannot hide.

The maintenance plan is a single-page document listing recommended wash intervals, approved shampoos, and what to avoid—mainly high-pH degreasers and rotary buffers, both of which can wear through the ceramic prematurely. The warranty itself covers delamination or loss of hydrophobic properties within the stated period, provided you follow the wash schedule and do not introduce incompatible chemicals. We keep a digital copy of the entire file, so if you return for a top-up or a future detail, we already know the coating's age, the products used, and the condition of the paint underneath.

Can ceramic coating be done between revenue legs at Trapani Birgi?

Three to six days is the realistic window—one or two for decontamination and correction, one for each ceramic layer with curing time between, and a final day for inspection and any touch-up. That duration does not fit a typical turnaround, but it works well if the aircraft is positioning into Sicily for crew rest, maintenance, or a charter pause. Trapani's seasonal traffic pattern means that in winter you often have more predictable hangar access and fewer slot pressures, which makes scheduling easier.

If the aircraft is on a tight charter roster, we recommend booking ceramic during a planned maintenance window or immediately after heavy cleaning when the paint is already prepped. Trying to compress the process risks incomplete curing, which compromises durability. We can coordinate with your handler to arrange GPU, airside escort, and hangar door times, but the chemistry and the curing cycle set the minimum duration—there is no shortcut that delivers a two-year coating in twenty-four hours.

What does Mediterranean climate do to paint and how does ceramic help?

Salt-laden air, intense UV in summer, and wide temperature swings between day and night all accelerate paint oxidation and brightwork corrosion. Trapani sits on Sicily's western coast, so every takeoff and landing exposes the belly, gear bays, and lower fuselage to sea spray. Without protection, that salt dries into a hygroscopic crust that holds moisture against the clear coat, leading to micro-etching and eventually haze.

Ceramic coating creates a hydrophobic barrier—water beads and rolls off rather than spreading and evaporating in place—so salt never has the chance to dry on the surface. UV inhibitors in the ceramic layer also slow the breakdown of the clear coat's resins, which keeps the gloss stable and reduces the chalky appearance that develops on unprotected paint after a year or two in the Mediterranean. For brightwork, the ceramic seals the polished aluminium against oxidation, which means nacelle lips and leading edges stay mirror-bright between details rather than developing the brown or grey tarnish that normally appears within weeks of a polish. The result is lower maintenance cost over the coating's life and an aircraft that consistently looks as though it just came out of the paint shop.