Birmingham Airport is a major international transport hub and growth enabler for Midland Britain handling in excess of 12.5 million passengers as of 2019. Birmingham Airport is the 7th busiest airport in the UK.
The COVID pandemic and the policies of lockdowns and travel bans had a devastating effect on the UK’s transport vertical which saw Birmingham Airport’s passenger numbers plummet to below 3 million during 2020 – a decline of 75% and virtually 100% from March 23 onwards (the date the first national lockdown was announced).
In anticipation of the economy re-opening during 2021 and ultimately “living with COVID”, Birmingham Airport expressed interest in PHI/REME active air purification for continuous sanitising of the air and surfaces throughout terminal buildings to add an extra layer of protection beyond ventilation and filtration/UV measures and to help the travelling public, visitors, staff and contractors stay safer and healthier and help rebuild confidence.
Following our site survey of the terminal buildings including AHUs, ductwork infrastructure and air delivery locations we specified 40 of our in-AHU Package PHI units of differing sizes according to airflow/volume/space requirements across all the AHUs. The units treat the conditioned and filtered supply air (comprising fresh air only or fresh/recirculation mix) on a continuous basis as it leaves each AHU. The treated air reaches throughout the ductwork infrastructure and all the way into the conditioned spaces which include arrival/departure and ticketing halls, passport control, air-side shops, departure gates and baggage halls.
Each Package PHI unit comprises the world leading PHI/REME active air purification technologythat is proven to eliminate harmful bacteria and viruses including SARS-CoV-2and VOCs on a continuous basis throughout the entire indoor environment.
Manufactured by US based RGF Environmental Group Inc, the technology uses no chemicals or harmful substances and works by continuously maintaining similar concentrations of hydrogen peroxide molecules, to those found in the outdoor air.
When coming into contact with microbials and VOCs, the naturally occurring molecules break them down, destroy them and then revert the back to harmless water vapour and oxygen. The air purification technology produces 1 quadrillion of these molecules every second, quickly killing any airborne virus or bacteria, including COVID-19.
The installation was performed by Birmingham Airport’s FM Carter Synergy following review of the Package PHI product and technology safety and efficacy credentials by independent, accredited labs and universities in line with recommendations in official guidance and various client case studies. Since the installation passenger numbers through the airport have increased significantly.
