US Airways selected the Donaldson Air Purification System (APS) for installation on 57 Airbus A321s. US Airways is retrofitting the aircraft with the APS High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) and carbon-based chemical filter. The retrofit process began in mid April and is scheduled for completion by the fourth quarter 2012.
“US Airways conducted thorough testing prior to selecting the APS for our filtration needs,” said Joe Maloy, Director of the Aircraft Acquisition and Propulsion Engineering Group for US Airways. “Odors were reduced by more than 60 percent within the first two minutes of our tests. Within 12 minutes, the odors were gone.”
US Airways’ passengers and crews will benefit from the system’s ability to remove dust and other airborne particulates, as well as allergens, bacteria, viruses and even odors in pressurized cabins and cockpits, according to Sheila Peyraud, General Manager, Aerospace & Defense at Donaldson Company. “Donaldson is proud to partner with US Airways to improve cabin air quality and comfort,” Peyraud said, “and it has been a pleasure to work with US Airways throughout the evaluation and testing process.”
Donaldson expects an APS Supplemental Type Certificate for the Airbus A320 series fleet within a year.