CTT Systems lands Air New Zealand fleet order

SWEDEN’S CTT Systems has landed one of its biggest deals ever, winning a contract to install its Zonal Drying System in 42 aircraft operated by Air New Zealand.

The carrier wants Zonal Drying for 13 Airbus A320s and 16 Boeing 737s, five 767s and eight 777s. First installations are scheduled for November.

“We were world leaders in refining our flight operations to reduce environmental impact and fuel burn long before the rising price of oil put the focus on fuel savings,” says Capt David Morgan, ANZ general manager for operations and safety. “Once we had proved to our satisfaction the range of benefits from this technology we moved quickly to apply it across four fleets.”

Zonal Drying System counters condensation on the cold inside surface of the aircraft skin. Benefits include reduced fuel consumption through elimination of accumulated water, less corrective maintenance and thus improved operational reliability, and better insulation performance. Corrosion is also reduced, leading to an improvement in aircraft residual value. The system has been selected as standard on the Boeing 787.

CTT’s complementary Cair system humidifies the extremely dry air (3-5 per cent relative humidity) typical of first and business-class cabins without creating condensation. It is designed to provide a pleasant relative humidity of 25 per cent to reduce the incidence of problems associated with excessively dry air - fatigue, jetlag, red eyes, dry skin, airborne virus infections. The system is based on energy-efficient evaporative cooling technology and includes measures that effectively rule out the transfer of bacteria within the aircraft. CTT humidification is optional in Boeing 787 crew rest compartments and on the flight deck, and in Airbus A380 crew rest compartments.