(Yicai Global) Nov. 9 -- US airplane maker Honeywell Aerospace introduced its new ultra-violet aircraft cabin cleaning system at this year’s China International Import Expo, specially designed to thoroughly disinfect planes at a time when the threat of catching the novel coronavirus is discouraging people from flying.

The Ultraviolet Cabin Cleaning System uses ultra-violet light to disinfect aircraft cabins, staff at the Honeywell booth said. It has arms that can extend over the top of seats and can wipe each seat, backrest and tray individually, they said. It is the size of an aircraft food trolley and only takes ten minutes to clean a cabin, they added.

“The system took just a few months to go from concept design to production to marketing,” Xu Jun, vice president of Honeywell’s Asia-Pacific Original Equipment Manufacturer, told Yicai Global. "We are communicating with the Civil Aviation Administration of China and airlines to get it to the Chinese market as soon as possible," he added.

Arizona-based Honeywell is also working on an upgraded model which will be lighter than the original and can be used in other public spaces such as high-speed rail terminals, Xu said.

The UVC System could give travelers more confidence to travel, Xu said. The pandemic has hit the global aviation industry hard and its recovery largely depends on when a vaccine is available, various governments' pandemic control policies and passengers' confidence to fly.

This is the third year running that Arizona-based Honeywell has taken part in the CIIE and its exhibition area has more than tripled to 200 square meters from 60 meters in 2018, demonstrating the firm’s confidence in the China market.

Honeywell chose China has the location of its first emerging-market headquarters in the world. The center opened in Wuhan, central Hubei province in May and will explore new growth points for the firm.

Editor: Kim Taylor