April 4, 2017 – Recaro Aircraft Seating is working with antibacterial science to apply special bacteria-killing coatings on frequently touched plastic surfaces in the cabin, such as fold-out tray tables, armrests and seatbacks.
“The specially coated plastic surfaces of Recaro’s aircraft seats ensure excellent protection against bacteria. We can thereby offer passengers more cleanliness and comfort. The antibacterial coating is effective, regardless of the cleaning cycle,” explained Marc Schmidt, development engineer for composite materials at Recaro Aircraft Seating. “We have also found that the special plastic surfaces on the backrest and the folding tray table are not only antibacterial, but also more resistant to scratches than standard aviation materials.”
The antibacterial efficacy has been demonstrated by the Hohenstein Institute and is defined according to ISO22196 and JIS Z 2801. According to Recaro, during the laboratory examination, 99% of the bacteria disappeared within three hours thanks to the coating’s antibacterial properties, and after 24 hours over 99.9% had disappeared.