Finavia is set to test Ultraviolet C (UVC) light technology at one of its airports to disinfect security control trays by killing bacteria and viruses.

The disinfection technology being piloted is based on UVC light, which is used to clean surfaces in the healthcare and food industries, among others.

Finavia Helsinki Airport executive director Ulla Lettijeff said: “Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we already upgraded the cleaning process of security control trays during the spring, but the aim of the pilot project is to raise hygiene standards to a new level and find the best UVC disinfection method for the airport environment.

“Our expectations are high for the performance of the equipment we are piloting. This new technology will help us intensify disinfection even further and improve cleaning standards. We will now be able to disinfect empty security control trays quickly after each use.”

The energy-efficient, environmentally friendly cleaning method is quicker than other traditional sanitising methods.

The project will test different equipment to determine the product that best suits the airport environment.

Finnish company LedFuture Oy is one of the companies providing the technology.

LedFuture also pioneered a LED technology-based disinfection solution to be tested by Finavia.

The UVC-LED disinfection technology is based on research by the University of Helsinki, the University of Eastern Finland and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).