Meet Freya and Daphne: Getting aircraft cabins ready for take-off

As passengers, we notice little things when we board the plane – a clean tray table, neatly organised seat pocket, fresh headrest cover.

But what we don't see is the race against time that happens between flights or the teams working behind every departure to clean, inspect, replenish, and prepare the cabin before boarding begins.

This responsibility falls to the Aircraft Interior Cleaning (AIC) team at SATS.

Among them is Nguyen Thi Mong Gam (Freya), an Operations Assistant who has been with the team for more than two years now.

Nguyen Thi Mong Gam, Operations Assistant, Aircraft Interior Cabin Team - SATS Singapore Hub

Freya's day starts early. By 5:30, she is already checking the day's schedule. 

She first reviews the flight details, aircraft type, bay, and departure timing. She then gathers the supplies her team will need and confirms how much time they have to complete the cleaning.

“My job is to make sure cabin cleaning is done properly and on time,” Freya says.

In aviation, “properly and on time” can mean very different things. Depending on the aircraft type and turnaround schedule, the AIC team may have as little as 15 minutes to complete resetting a narrow-body aircraft. For larger aircraft, cleaning duration can range from 30 minutes to a couple of hours, depending on the airline's requirements and the scope of work. 

What aircraft cabin cleaning involves

Most passengers think aircraft cabin cleaning is simply about throwing rubbish and wiping surfaces. While these are part of the job, they are not the whole job. 

Aircraft cabin cleaning involves cleaning, inspecting, and preparing every passenger-facing part of the cabin between flights. This includes seats, seat pockets, tray tables, carpets, lavatories, galleys, windows, and other areas passengers use throughout their journey. 

“Cabin cleaning includes regular cleaning as well as dress-up,” explains Daphne, Manager at AIC.

Seah Xin Rui (Daphne), Manager at AIC, SATS Singapore Hub

That “dress-up” element is one of the less visible aspects of aircraft interior cleaning. Depending on the airline and cabin class, it may involve replacing headrest covers, refreshing premium cabin linen, and preparing amenities before boarding begins.

The flight deck or cockpit cleaning is usually done in the presence of the flight crew or engineering team.

Read also: How AISATS is transforming aircraft exterior cleaning with Aerowash

For Freya, the challenge often lies in the details passengers never notice unless something has been missed. 

“There are many hard-to-reach areas in the cabin,” she says, pointing to spaces beneath armrests, footrests, and seat structures where litter and personal items can easily become lodged.

Attention to these details plays a significant role in shaping passenger experience. A clean and well-prepared cabin gives passengers confidence that the aircraft is ready for their journey.

Turnaround starts before the team enters the cabin

Long before the cleaning begins, Freya is already planning how her team will approach the turnaround.

“I need to know whether it is a short turnover,” she says. “This is so I can share with my team if we need to expedite the cleaning.”

Once she understands the aircraft's schedule and requirements, she briefs the team and assigns responsibilities across the cabin. Some focus on sweeping, others handle seat pockets, lavatories, or galleys, while Freya oversees the overall operation.

One of her first checks after boarding the aircraft is the electronic cabin log, where cabin crew may record issues from the inbound flight. Missing safety cards, damaged items, or replenishment requests need to be identified early. 

"If we only check that at the very last minute, then there won’t be time to recover,” Daphne explains.

The ability to identify potential issues early is one reason aircraft cabin cleaning is as much about operational awareness as it is about cleaning itself.

Why cabin cleaning matters to aircraft turnaround

Aircraft turnaround is the period between an aircraft's arrival and its next departure.

During that window, multiple teams work in parallel. Passengers disembark, baggage and cargo are unloaded and loaded, catering supplies are replenished, engineers carry out checks, and cabin crew prepare for the next leg.

At the same time, the AIC team must complete cleaning before boarding begins, which for many full-service carrier flights is typically around 40 minutes before departure.

"If AIC is delayed, the subsequent activities may be affected and the whole flight will be delayed," Daphne says. 

Over the past two years, her team has reviewed cleaning processes and studied work sequences to improve efficiency without compromising quality. 

Daphne also added, “As the team look ahead, we are also exploring how new technology can help improve efficiency and productivity. For example, robotics solutions and other emerging technologies that can automate repetitive tasks are being explored, to optimise workflows and allow the team to focus on higher-value activities. These are some of the areas we’re exploring through our upcoming projects as we continue to modernise our operations and stay ahead by adopting the latest technologies where they can create real value.”

Even small decisions can matter when every minute counts. The order in which tasks are performed, how work is divided among team members, and how resources are deployed can all affect turnaround performance.

The seat pocket tells a bigger story

Of all the areas in the aircraft, Freya says seat pockets often take the longest to clean.

Every aircraft has rows and rows of them, and they are not always easy to inspect quickly. They can hold tissues, food wrappers, forgotten belongings, and occasionally, items that pose a safety risk to the AIC team.

One of the biggest concerns is sharp objects hidden inside seat pockets. Passengers sometimes leave behind medical items like syringes, needles, or EpiPens.

"If a cleaner reaches in without checking, they can be injured," Daphne explains.

Because turnaround timelines are often tight, there is a natural temptation to work as quickly as possible. But the team constantly reinforces a simple safety principle: never reach blindly into a seat pocket. 

"Even if it takes a bit more time, they must open the seat pocket and take things out carefully,” says Daphne.

A reliable aircraft cleaning service, Daphne says, is not only about delivering a visibly clean cabin. It is also about knowing when to escalate, how to protect staff, and how to keep the aircraft safe for the next stage of operations.

It's not as simple as people think

If Daphne could correct one misconception about aircraft cleaning, it would be that the job is simple.

“People think cleaning is very straightforward and simple,” she says. “Because it’s just cleaning. It’s like how you do housework.”

She understands why people think that. Cleaning is familiar. Everyone has wiped a table, swept a floor, or tidied a room.

But cleaning an aircraft between flights is a very different environment. 

AIC teams work inside a confined cabin, often alongside cabin crew, engineers, caterers, and other ground handling teams. They move through narrow aisles, work around seats and equipment, manage soiled items, check hidden areas, and prepare the cabin according to airline-specific requirements. They do all this while the departure clock keeps running.

Daphne puts it directly. “It is very laborious, very time-consuming, and not as safe as what everybody thinks it is.”

That is why training matters. New staff go through induction training before joining teams for on-the-job training. They learn the areas of the aircraft that need to be cleaned and the different functions they may rotate through, such as seat pockets, toilets, galley, and sweeping.

It is also why Daphne believes people remain central to aircraft cabin cleaning, even as automation becomes more common in aviation. 

“A machine may help with some tasks, but somebody still needs to decide whether the cabin is truly ready," she says.

A clean cabin depends on more than one team

The AIC team does not work alone.

To protect on-time departure, the team coordinates with operational stakeholders, especially when circumstances affect cleaning times, such as heavily soiled cabins or unusual inbound conditions.

The team also works closely with ramp and catering teams. Ramp activities often take place around the aircraft at the same time, while catering teams may need to load passenger items that AIC subsequently places in the cabin.

Different airlines may also have different cabin products, passenger amenities, and cleaning expectations. While customer requirements vary, AIC focuses on maintaining consistent planning, deployment, and briefing processes.

"It is about having a disciplined process while remaining flexible to what each flight requires," says Daphne.

Every aircraft brings different conditions. Some are straightforward, while others demand more time and care. By the time passengers board, however, most of the work has become invisible – the seat is ready, the tray table clean, the cabin feels prepared.

Most passengers will never see Freya checking each zone, or Daphne refining the process behind the scenes. They will not think about the seat pockets, safety cards, replenishment, timing, and coordination with other teams.

"That's exactly how it should be," says Daphne. For the cabin cleaning team, a job well-done is not measured by what passengers notice, but by what they don't. When everything goes right, passengers simply step onboard and begin their journey without a second thought.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is aircraft cabin cleaning?

Aircraft cabin cleaning is the cleaning, inspection, and preparation of the passenger cabin between flights. It includes cleaning seats, seat pockets, tray tables, carpets, lavatories, galleys, in-flight entertainment screens, and other passenger-facing areas. Depending on the airline and aircraft type, it may also include replacing linen items and preparing selected passenger amenities before boarding.

Q: Why is aircraft cleaning important for aircraft turnaround?

Aircraft cleaning is important for aircraft turnaround because the cabin must be cleaned and prepared before passengers can board the next flight. Efficient cabin cleaning helps airlines protect departure timelines, support on-time performance and provide a clean, comfortable cabin experience.

Q: What is the difference between aircraft interior cleaning and aircraft exterior cleaning?

Aircraft interior cleaning focuses on the inside of the aircraft, including the passenger cabin, lavatories, and galleys. Aircraft exterior cleaning focuses on the outside of the aircraft, such as the fuselage. These services support different aspects of aircraft presentation and require different teams, procedures, and equipment.

Q: How can airlines improve aircraft turnaround time?

Airlines can improve aircraft turnaround time by strengthening manpower planning, standardising work sequences, prioritising passenger-facing areas, improving coordination between airport teams and using passenger or airline feedback to continuously refine cleaning processes.

Q: Does SATS provide aircraft cleaning services outside Singapore?

Yes. SATS provides aircraft cleaning services across its wider network, including cabin cleaning services at overseas stations in North and South America.