Ash Wednesday

2 July, 2010

When Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted on Wednesday 14 April, it blasted abrasive ash several miles into the sky, triggering widespread air travel disruption and airport closures. But amid the chaos, Amey spotted an opportunity. It deployed a crack team of almost 500 people to carry out a cleaning blitz at three airports across the UK where footfall was suddenly reduced.

The incident affected two teams at Heathrow Airport – working at Terminal 5 and on Heathrow Express (HEx) trains and stations – and one at Glasgow Airport. The contracts involve delivering a wide range of services including regular and deep cleaning, equipment maintenance, ground works, waste management and security.

As the effects of the ash cloud spread and airports’ operations were reduced, Amey’s teams used the window of opportunity to clean areas where access is normally restricted due to high footfall – such as passenger checking and escalators. Teams at all three airports and HEx shared information about how to sequence the works to maximise efficiencies and benefit for their customers.

Pedro Gomez, Amey soft services manager at Heathrow Airport, says: ‘As soon as we realised the impact of the incident, we pulled out all the stops and Heathrow became a complete hive of activity. Some companies totally shut down, but for us, it was the complete opposite.

‘It is very unusual to be able to clean an empty airport,’ he continues. ‘We were determined to maximise the time available, so a team of almost 400 cleaners “blitzed” the entire area. Normally Heathrow is so busy around the clock, we only have a window of three to four hours to clean areas with heavy footfall such as the X-ray and baggage areas. We completed all those intensive cleaning tasks during the flight ban. We’ve also got the second longest escalator in the UK. You can normally only clean sections at a time, but we did the whole structure this time, which gives a better result.’

Innovative solutions
The team uses innovative methods to carry out deep cleaning at T5. This includes using Tennant EC-H2O machines which do not require any chemical solutions – only water – to clean floors. The machines electrically convert water to lift dirt from the floors and are highly effective, reducing the team’s water consumption by 30 per cent. Less time is spent refilling machines, and there is no need to buy expensive chemicals or dispose of solutions.

Amey also uses Rubbermaid’s Hygen microfibre cleaning system, a total solution featuring a set of textiles and hardware products, such as handles, frames, buckets and carts, designed to maximise the benefits of microfibre cleaning. Mops are used damp, which cuts water use. A spray system sends water to the floor pad which is effective at removing dirt.

Meanwhile, at HEx, Amey delivers a contract to provide innovative cleaning and mechanical engineering at all stations within Heathrow Airport and in train carriages. HEx is the most popular form of transport for passengers accessing Heathrow, with up to 15,000 passengers a day travelling through a system which includes six kilometres of tunnels. Amey used the window of opportunity to carry out additional daytime floor cleaning and redecorated several front-of-house areas.

Glasgow Airport
It was equally busy at Glasgow Airport, where Amey is responsible for delivering a package of services, including cleaning, baggage trolley collection, pest control and grounds maintenance.

Duncan Hopkins is the services manager for soft services for Amey at the airport. He recalls: ‘I got the call at four in the morning. Working in FM, I’m used to the phone ringing through the night due to issues such as break-ins, fires and floods, but a volcano was a new one for me.

‘Our team swung into action, doing as much as we possibly could. Our dayshift and nightshift cleaning teams carried out a programme of intensive deep cleaning inside and outside the terminal building. Our grounds maintenance contractor was able to complete a week’s worth of airside activities in two and a half days.’

He adds: ‘We also allowed some team members to take days of annual leave during this period. It means that our team will better resourced throughout the really busy times.’

It all means good results for the airline operators, which work under the Service Quality Rebate (SQR) scheme operated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). As part of this process, the CSS distributes questionnaires to customers to monitor their levels of satisfaction with the cleanliness and ambience of the airports. It is hoped that the high standard of cleanliness achieved at the airports will help to provide a better experience for the travelling public.

But the hard work continued after the ash cloud was dispersed, as Amey worked with the airports and HEx to assist in the recovery of services. Nightshift workers normally carry out intensive cleaning tasks at HEx when stations are closed. But during the recovery, operators made the service operational round the clock to help kick-start travel. As a result, Amey retrained its nightshift teams to carry out the full range of cleaning services, in addition to their specialism in intensive cleaning.

‘The ash cloud incident had major implications for the travel and aviation industries,’ concludes Graham Blair, development director of Amey’s Built Environment division. ‘We are pleased to have helped the airports in a small way by making them look their best during this time.’ Duncan Hopkins adds: ‘Now we’re focusing on maintaining those high standards we have achieved’.