Exterior Dry Wash at Paris-Le Bourget (LFPB)

How does a dry wash fit into a Paris-Le Bourget turnaround?

Most turnarounds at Le Bourget run between ninety minutes and four hours, depending on whether you're taking fuel, catering and a cabin tidy or planning a crew change and deeper service. A dry wash sits naturally in the longer window: we begin once the GPU is connected, pitot covers are on and the handler confirms the aircraft will remain on stand. If you're departing the same day, we coordinate start time with your handler so that the exterior is complete—including a final walk-round and photo set—at least thirty minutes before your scheduled off-blocks.

For overnight or multi-day stops the process is even simpler. We schedule the wash during daylight hours when the fuselage is accessible and the apron is quiet, then deliver the photo report and tech-log entry by email before your next departure. Because Le Bourget operates twenty-four hours for arrivals and jet departures run from 06:00 to 22:00 local, early-morning positioning flights are common; an overnight dry wash ensures the aircraft presents well without eating into pre-departure checks.

What does the handler need from a third-party detailing crew at LFPB?

Handling agents present at the airport expect three things: valid airside passes for every technician, written confirmation from the operator or chief pilot that we are authorised to work on the aircraft, and a mobile number they can reach if the departure schedule changes. We carry escort-ready documentation for all five business-aviation terminals along Avenue de l'Europe, and we notify the duty manager by telephone when we arrive airside and again when we clear the stand.

Le Bourget's business-aviation zone is compact but busy; stands can be tight during seasonal peaks and around the biennial Paris Air Show. Handlers appreciate crews who bring their own equipment trolley, park it clear of the taxiway edge and keep the work envelope small. We never open a panel, touch a static port or move a tug without the handler's explicit clearance, and we leave a single point of contact on the apron—usually the lead technician—so that ground staff aren't chasing multiple people if the slot moves up.

When does recurring dry wash make sense at Paris-Le Bourget?

If your aircraft overnights at Le Bourget more than twice a month—common for jets serving corporate offices in central Paris or positioned for onward European legs—a standing dry-wash schedule keeps the exterior consistently clean without last-minute coordination. We see this most often with fleet operators and charter programmes: the handling agent holds a calendar note, we arrive for each scheduled stop and the invoice runs through a single monthly statement.

Recurring work also smooths out the documentation. After the first service the handler already has our insurance certificate and airside-pass details on file, the chief pilot has approved the standard operating procedure and the crew knows to expect the photo report in the same shared folder. That removes the administrative back-and-forth that can delay a one-off callout, especially if the aircraft lands on a Friday evening and departs early Monday.

One-off dry washes still represent the majority of our Le Bourget requests—an aircraft inbound from North Africa with Saharan dust on the belly, or a jet returning from a winter charter with de-icing fluid residue that needs removing before a client flight. We can mobilise within four hours of a confirmed stand and handler contact, but recurring customers always move to the front of the queue during peak season.

What changes at Paris-Le Bourget that affects exterior cleaning?

Le Bourget sits at 220 feet elevation, eleven kilometres from central Paris, and operates three runways: 07/25 at 2,991 metres, 03/21 at 2,665 metres and 09/27 at 1,845 metres. The field handles business aviation exclusively—no scheduled airline service—so every arriving aircraft is a potential customer, and the concentration of handling agents present at the airport means we often clean three or four jets in a single day, moving between terminals along Avenue de l'Europe. That density also brings scheduling discipline: if a stand is needed for an inbound ultra-long-range jet, your handler will ask us to finish early or pause until the arrival clears.

The airport operates twenty-four hours for arrivals, but jet departures from the apron are prohibited between 22:15 and 06:00 local, with take-offs permitted from 06:00 to 22:00 and landings round the clock. That night restriction shapes our workflow: if you land after 20:00 and depart mid-morning, we'll propose starting the dry wash at first light rather than working under floodlights, which saves time on bug-residue removal and gives better visibility for the final inspection. Seasonal peaks follow Paris events—fashion weeks, air show, motor show—and during those windows we ask for forty-eight hours' notice instead of the usual twenty-four.

What documentation and reporting do you provide after a dry wash?

Every exterior dry wash closes with a written report: a dated summary of the work performed, products used, any airframe observations—paint chips, leading-edge nicks, hydraulic weeps—and a set of time-stamped photographs showing the aircraft before we started and after final inspection. The report goes to the email address you nominate, usually the chief pilot or flight-department manager, and we can copy the handler if you ask. If your operation requires a tech-log entry we'll prepare the text and hand the physical sticker to the handling agent for the captain to sign; most Le Bourget handlers are familiar with that process.

The photo set typically includes eight to twelve images: nose, tail, both profiles, both winglets, belly access panels and any area where we found something worth noting—a paint blister near a nacelle, a cracked lens on a navigation light, a tyre with visible canvas. We don't diagnose maintenance issues, but we flag what we see so that your crew or your maintenance provider can make the call. The images also serve as a timestamp: if a customer queries the aircraft's appearance two days after a dry wash, you have dated evidence of its condition when it left Le Bourget.

Why choose a dry wash instead of a traditional water wash at LFPB?

Le Bourget has extensive hangar capacity—one handling agent alone operates 16,700 square metres of secure hangar space—but moving an aircraft into a wash bay still costs time, coordination and often a repositioning fee. A dry wash happens on the ramp where the jet already sits: no tug, no hangar slot, no wait for a bay to free up. For a quick turnaround or an overnight stop that leaves the aircraft clean without adding ground time or handler charges.

Waterless cleaning also removes the risk of runoff-related delays. Paris has strict environmental rules around wash-water discharge, and while the major handling agents present at the airport maintain compliant wash facilities, those bays are shared resources that can be booked solid during peak season. A dry wash uses aviation-approved polymer-based products that encapsulate dirt and lift it from the paint without water, so there's no runoff to manage and no dependency on wash-bay availability. The finish isn't identical to a two-bucket wash—you won't get the same depth of gloss on a neglected fuselage—but for regular maintenance every two to four weeks, the result is indistinguishable to a client boarding at the terminal.