Page 25 - InterPilot 2019 Issue 1

PAGE 25

“What would crews need

to know to be able to

trust onboard water?”

2
Drinking-Water Quality Pool . This pool allows the airlines to a temperature of at least 70 degrees Celsius, enough
to share the results of audits, completed against a set of to pasteurize the water and kill harmful bacteria. This is
standards developed by the Pool to ensure uniformity in good news for tea and coffee drinkers, but the fact remains
the results. This allows the individual airlines to focus more that to be able to fully trust the water onboard - airports,
on water quality control and follow up, provides assurance ground service providers, and aircraft operators need to
that water can be uplifted safely or flags the issue with ensure the safety of water throughout the transfer system.
the entire group of airlines when water does not meet the If your operator is looking to reduce their use of plastic
standards. Overall, this allows the participating airlines to bottles, check with them to ensure that the ground ser-
better plan where they uplift water for their flights, lower- vice providers contracted to supply water are following the
3
ing fuel consumption and related CO2 emissions, not to standards in the IATA Airport Handling Manual .
mention the cost.
It is estimated that one million plastic water bottles are
Here is where we would like to report that evidence shows sold every minute, far outpacing the ability for recycling
that the potable water onboard aircraft is safe enough to plants to cope with the demand and resulting in tons of
justify leaving the plastic bottles on the ground. Unfortu- plastic in landfills or in the ocean. Airlines looking to re-
nately, the audit results from IDQP show that, while things duce their dependency on disposable plastic water bottles
are improving, there is still much to be done to improve should follow the requirements outlined in the IATA Air-
the safety of potable water delivered to aircraft. port Handling Manual to ensure that drinking water avail-
able onboard aircraft is safe for both passengers and crew.
What then do you need to consider when drinking from
the onboard system? Hot water onboard aircraft is heated 3 https://www.iata.org/publications/store/Pages/airport-handling-
2 https://www.iata.org/whatwedo/safety/audit/Pages/idqp.aspx manual.aspx

Figure A
IATA Drinking-Water Quality Pool
Inspection

Water Supply Airport Water Supply Into Plane
Responsibility Local Authorities Authority Airport Handling Agent Airline
Airport

Handover DSP Water DSP 1
Water Source DSP
Point
Treatment 3
4 2
F
DSP
1
DSP
Handover 1
Water Source
Point
DSP
4 2 F
F
DSP
1
1 = transfer point to Aircraft
DSP = Distribution System Pipe
F = Filling Point 2 = transfer point to Bowser / Water Truck
1 3 = transfer point after water treatment

4 = handover point from public water supplier