As consumers return to normal and commercial airlines return to the skies, air carriers worldwide are facing financial pressures. Airlines are cutting capacity to maintain proper social distancing, while flight bans are taking a large chunk of their dividends – it’s no surprise airlines are looking for ways to remain in the sky. Now more than ever, a well-functioning plane with little maintenance is key to reducing operational costs and retaining a return on investment.
Our VELCRO® Brand transportation solution team partnered with Tarkett to create an aircraft maintenance solution for carpet installation. Introducing Hook’nFly™: an innovative and reliable carpet fastening system that can be easily removed and repositioned, an ideal solution for installers and aircraft carriers alike!
Backed by Years of Experience
With over 140 years of experience within the flooring industry, Tarkett offers a variety of products ranging from aviation solutions to sport surfaces. They service customers across 100 different countries and have notoriety industry-wide.
The Challenges
On average, an aircraft is operational for 30 years before it’s decommissioned to retirement. Through those years, a plane’s routine maintenance is essential to its upkeep. The more time an aircraft is on the ground (AOG), the less revenue is generated for the carrier. In 2018, Airlines for America reported US passengers cost an average of $74.20 per minute, and with delays costing around $28 billion, it’s crucial to get that plane back up and running as soon as possible.
Installation
Speed and efficiency are essential to productive interior servicing and component aircraft maintenance. Today’s conventional carpet removal and installation can be a tedious part of the process. Carpets are held by double-sided tape and when it’s removed, the tape may leave behind residues. Its essential floor panels are wiped clean before installation can begin. Any setback while preparing the cabin can cost carriers not only time but also money.
While in flight
During the operation of aircraft, humidity levels can change quite frequently. When adhesive tapes are used for the aircraft carpets, shifting between the carpet lanes can occur due to a change in temperature and humidity.
Providing a Strong Solution for Quick and Easy Aircraft Carpet Installation
Amongst the issues of maintenance and cost, Hook’nFly™ was created as a time-saving and worry-free solution, significantly reducing installment and removal time.
How it works
Aircraft carpet installation is now simple – the VELCRO® Brand Hook Tape is adhered to the cabin floor, while the carpet is rolled out directly on top of the hook tape.
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Compared to the conventional smooth carpet backing, Hook’nFly™‘s system is created, so the rug attaches to the VELCRO® Brand Hook. The backing of the carpet’s fibers is specially designed to act as the ‘loop’, engaging the hook-tape and making the rug repositionable. This eliminates cleaning glue residues off the floor panels and replacing the double-sided tape every time during carpet installation.
The high shear strength of VELCRO® Brand Hook helps solve the gap problem faced by conventional double-sided tape. Because the carpets lock into place without glue sealing the rug to the floor, the temperature has no bearing on the installation, and gaps are virtually a non-issue. Edge alignment and repositioning are also possible for improved visual appearance without impact on performance. You can separate hook and loop many times versus an adhesive where you stick only once.
With its amazing versatility, Tarkett’s Hook’nFly™ system powered by VELCRO® Brand Transportation Solutions, can save a tremendous amount of time throughout the installation process, ultimately saving the aircraft carrier’s bottom-line.
Discover how our VELCRO® Brand Transportation Solutions team can help you with your next project.
