With the pandemic having a major impact on global air travel, the industry
is looking for solutions that could help bolster passenger confidence and
promote an industry recovery.
That’s why 3M and Safran Cabin are partnering to bring two experts in their
fields – science and airplane interiors – to help restore public confidence
in air travel.
A new “Travel Safe” initiative will leverage 3M’s history of innovation and
experience with COVID-19
to provide technologies aimed at creating cleaner cabin interiors, with
Safran certifying those technologies to enhance cleaning and protection
within aircraft cabin interiors.
“Today, passengers choose their airline – considering not only safety,
interactivity and connectivity, but interior hygiene assurance,” said
Stephen Shafer, vice president and general manager of 3M’s Automotive and
Aerospace Solutions Division (AASD). “The most important factor is the
protection of travelers and their families, and 3M continues to apply its
technology to enable passenger safety in the skies. Safran is a leader in
the industry and we have great synergy between the two companies.”
Safran will certify 3M technology that enhances cleaning and protection
features of aircraft cabin equipment and provides the capability to
mitigate or improve the removal of bacteria and viruses, including
SARS-CoV-2. These solutions can be permanently embedded into aircraft
interior surfaces during the manufacturing process, or they can be applied
to upgrade existing interiors.
“Clean interiors are an industry imperative, and we have with 3M an
innovative partner and expert in cleaning, disinfection and protection, who
can blend the latest in clean technology with the specialized plastics,
decors and composites used in aircraft interiors,” said Norman Jordan, CEO
of Safran Cabin.
The joint teams at Safran and 3M are working on multiple solutions that are
targeted for launch in 2021, said Pete Neumann, global key
account manager, 3M AASD.
“We’re going to do our best to act fast while making sure we back up our
innovations with science,” Pete said. “We want to continuously improve the
safety that airlines are providing right now and bring us to a new level of
confidence in air travel.”