Ethiopian Airlines to Employ Ray, an Autonomous Aircraft Sanitization Robot

(29 Oct 2021) Ethiopian Airlines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Aero HygenX - inventors of Ray, an autonomous aircraft sanitization robot.

The MOU outlines a plan for fleetwide deployment and regional marketing of Aero HygenX's autonomous UV-C light disinfecting robot.

It is the intent of the two parties to establish local final assembly capabilities for Aero HygenX's autonomous UV-C disinfecting robot, creating local employment opportunities and expediting rollout of the chemical-free, pathogen-killing solution for Ethiopian Airlines.

Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, said, "As we emerge from the COVID19 pandemic, aircraft disinfection and safety are top priorities for Ethiopian Airlines. As the fastest-growing African carrier, we feel a deep responsibility to reassure travellers and set an example by investing in sustainable hygiene solutions that will benefit not only our staff and passengers but also the entire region. Aero HygenX has demonstrated competence and ingenuity with the Ray autonomous disinfecting robot, and we look forward to implementing the solution as soon as possible."

Aero HygenX was formed in January 2020 by a group of self-proclaimed aviation geeks with strong backgrounds in technology and aviation. In March 2020, Ray, the fully autonomous UV-C disinfecting robot, was introduced to market and the first production line units were delivered to customers in April 2021. The company has customers across Canada, the USA, Middle East and now East Africa.

Ray uses motion sensing technology to navigate cramped spaces, such as aircraft cabins and trains, and disinfect surfaces quickly, safely and without the use of harmful chemicals, using UV-C light.

Ray has the ability to disinfect a single aisle aircraft, such as a Boeing 737 or Airbus A320, in as little as seven minutes and can also be used to treat in lavatories so airlines can fully sanitize the aircraft after every flight.

Ray can be optimized for various aircraft types and comes equipped with HygenX Stream, a customizable software that records and transmits usage data wirelessly to the cloud, providing valuable system health monitoring and status updates to the operator.

UV-C light has been used to effectively disinfect food, water, and air for decades. It is proven to destroy the pathogens that cause MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV1, Ebola, and SARS-CoV2 and other serious viruses.

"This understanding with Ethiopian Airlines is very exciting for our whole team and we are truly grateful for their trust and support," said Arash Mahin, Aero HygenX CEO. "At Aero HygenX, we want to help aviation get back on its feet as quickly as possible, and for that to happen we must work globally. A global problem requires a global solution and we're thrilled that, together with Ethiopian Airlines, we can bring thorough, efficient, and safe pathogen-killing technology to this region."