BAE Systems has joined forces with Quest International UK in a bid to clean up cabin air.
Quest, based in Cheshire, England, has developed AirManager, a system dubbed as a ‘radical’ step forward in air management technology.
In addition to introducing AirManager onto its own BAe 146/Avro RJ airliners, BAE Systems will act as an authorised distributor of the product to airlines around the world. Right now, the system works on the Boeing 757 and will be modified for other planes based on interest.
“We are working closely with Quest International UK to determine the next STCs [Supplemental Type Certificates] to be developed and it is likely that our efforts will focus on the popular Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 airliner families,” said Paul Stirling, executive vice president, asset management, BAE.
“BAE Systems has a strong belief in AirManager and we will work hard to generate airline interest and orders.”
AirManager was developed in the late 1990s for use in the healthcare sector. It uses a patented system called ‘Close Coupled Field Technology’, which is a contained and safe electrical field that eliminates smells, and breaks down and destroys airborne pathogens, contaminants and toxins.
David Hallam, inventor of the technology and Director of Quest International UK, explained: “The main strength of CCFT is its ability to destroy a wide range of contaminants very quickly.
“It achieves a single-pass kill rate of 99.999% of bio-hazards and removes particles down to below 0.1 micron [one millionth of a metre], which is equivalent to a single particle of cigarette smoke.”