Aero HygenX enters a partnership with Ethiopian Airlines

Aero HygenX, the Canadian technology company behind autonomous UV-C light disinfecting robot, RAY, has entered into the African market.

The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ethiopian Airlines Group for fleetwide deployment and regional marketing of RAY.

In addition to establishing local final assembly capabilities for RAY, the MoU further sets out to foster exchange of expertise and ideas between Aero HygenX and the Ethiopian Airlines Innovation Hub, which leads all innovation activities across Ethiopian Airlines.

Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, commenting on the partnership said: “As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, aircraft disinfection and safety are top priorities for Ethiopian Airlines. We are one of the few global carriers that has been successful in combating the adverse effects of COVID-19 and we are proud to have been recognised international humanitarian organisations for our commitment in the global fight against the virus. With the signing of this MoU, we continue our investment in sustainable hygiene solutions that will benefit not only our staff and passengers, but the entire region. Aero HygenX has developed a phenomenal technology that enhances biosafety onboard – in accordance with our ‘Safety First’ policy – and will help Ethiopian attract more customers for a speedy recovery from the pandemic.”

Designed for the transportation industry, RAY is a compact and light-weight autonomous robot which uses motion sensing technology to navigate cramped spaces (such as aircraft cabins) and disinfect surfaces quickly, safely and without the use of harmful chemicals, using UV-C light.

RAY has the ability to disinfect a narrow body aircraft (such as a B737 or A320) in as little as seven minutes and can also be used to treat in lavatories so airlines can fully sanitise aircraft after every flight. Unlike competing disinfection robots, the RAY unit does not require a crew member to move it through the cabin. Furthermore, RAY can be optimised for various aircraft types and comes equipped with HygenX Stream, a customisable software that records and transmits usage data wirelessly to the cloud, providing valuable system health monitoring and status updates to the operator.

Alexander Preston  www.inflight-online.com