Sharjah ground handling takes up fight against disease

 Sharjah Aviation Services, (a Joint venture of Air Arabia & Sharjah Airport) has become the first ground handling company in United Arab Emirates (UAE) to help protect passengers of its clients and cabin crew against life-threatening viruses, including MERS, Ebola, and other diseases, by using Virus Guard.
SAS is based in Sharjah, will use the special Virus Guard wet wipes and chemicals to disinfect key areas on board aircraft, such as galleys, tray tables, armrests, seat belts, toilets, and any other surfaces passengers or crew are likely to touch.
Containing a powerful anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial ingredient, the wet wipes leave a microscopic deposit on surfaces that remains effective for up to ten days. This helps to protect passengers against a wide range of potentially dangerous viruses, as well as vegetative cells and fungus. SAS decided to team up with Virus Guard after months of testing out the product on short and long haul flights on a daily basis.
SAS’s aircraft appearance and uniform standards manager, Shirin Nassir, said the company wanted to minimise the risk to passengers, cabin crew and other airline staff, of contracting dangerous viruses by cross-contamination on board aircrafts. It is widely recognised by the aviation industry that air travel can facilitate the spread of viruses and it was important to reassure passengers, especially during peak periods such as the Hajj and Umrah season, that SAS was doing all it could to safeguard passengers health.
Recently, Saudi Arabian low cost airline Flynas also announced that they had started using Virus Guard wipes to disinfect their aircraft cabins.
Wim Savonije from Virus Guard said SAS was leading by example and were to be commended: “This is a positive move from another company in the region and they are setting higher standards when compared to legacy carriers, which never disinfect their aircrafts. This is a bold step from SAS and clearly defines its commitment to their client’s passengers as well as their employees.”
Typically, aircraft surfaces used or touched by passengers are rarely or never disinfected. Due to the pressure of meeting quick turnaround times, cleaning staff were often only on board for a short period and cleaning was limited to general tasks such as vacuuming floor areas, cleaning spillages, and removing discarded items. Virus Guard wet wipes come in conveniently sized packs, are easy to use for wiping down surfaces, and have proven to be highly effective in sanitising areas where cross-contamination is most likely to occur