Aircraft maker Boeing has partnered with Florida-based technology company Healthe to design and develop an ultraviolet wand designed to clean and disinfect the interiors of airplanes, UAE’s The National newspaper reported on Friday.
This is part of the Chicago-based company’s Confident Travel Initiative (CTI) to increase the safety and well-being of passengers and crews during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The UV wand is designed to be more effective than similar devices. It quickly disinfects surfaces on an airplane and further strengthens other layers of protection for passengers and crew," said Mike Delaney, who leads Boeing's CTI efforts.
Boeing spent six months transforming an idea for the wand into a working model and Healthe will now take that prototype and make it available to the world at large, said Mr Delaney.
The technology will be available for airlines before the end of this year. Healthe will produce and distribute the commercial wand, helping airlines combat the coronavirus.
The wand emits UV light and will sanitize everything the light touches. It uses 222-nanometer ultraviolet light, which Boeing says is proven to kill pathogens effectively.
According to the report, the device is an addition to sanitizing and protective measures already in place.
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways was the first to evaluate the device, and the UV wand was demonstrated on the Etihad 787-10 ecoDemonstrator airplane last month.
