The water quality on commercial aircraft issue came to a boil in 2002 when an investigation of 14 different flights by The Wall Street Journal revealed, “…contamination was the rule, not the exception; almost all of the bacteria levels were tens, sometimes hundreds of times above US government limits.” This revelation sparked an industry-wide study conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2004 that found one in six airliners failed to meet safety standards. In a similar initiative Health Canada’s 2006 tests showed very similar results. This resulted in the EPA’s new Aircraft Drinking Water Rule of October, 2009.
A later 2009 EPA study, related to the rulemaking, showed improvement, with a four percent failure rate. But with some 7,000 planes flying in the US on any given day, that’s still around 300 planes with substandard water and of that group, a dozen or more would have e.coli in the water. That is unacceptable.
That contamination of aircraft water supplies is widespread comes as no surprise to those who understand the many ways in which harmful bacteria, viruses and protozoa can enter a potable water supply. This includes problems with source water, ground handing issues, microorganism growth within the system and back-contamination in the lav’s.
For many operators, bottled water has been the answer, but it is expensive, heavy, and only partially addresses health concerns because onboard water is still used in galleys and lavatories - first class and economy. Some airlines now use aircraft tank water as the primary supply to economy class passengers. In this case, it is even more unacceptable not to have on board water treatment.
The Solution Exists
In the face of this increased scrutiny, commercial airlines are looking to the experience of Corporate
and VIP aircraft operators, who have known for over 25 years that IWG has the solution. For more
information on IWG solutions to water quality issues for both the Commercial and Corporate aircraft
market, click on the links to the left or contact us directly.
