Pesticide spraying on int'l flights

[Boeing4ever]

I have a question to you all down under:

I saw a documentary film here in Italy about Lufthansa's round-the-world cargo operations with the MD-11F and on its arrival in New Zealand, an official of some sort came on board and sprayed the entire cabin + cockpit with pesticide using spray cans, and the pilots had to remain on board and endure all that. The commentator said that all flights from international destinations in NZ and Australia had to be sprayed the moment they arrive.

I find it somewhat hard to believe that passengers would have to endure this - what about people with allergies or simply people that are sensitive to chemicals?

So my question is: did the commentator mean all cargo flights or really ALL flights? And also, what is the reason for the spraying? Is Australia/NZ still vulnerable to deseases/sicknesses that Europeans aren't? Or do insects from other parts of the world pose a threat to your insects or something?

Thanks, Marco

P.S.: Could someone please give me links to both Australian and NZ aviation forums? I can't seem to fing any through Google.

[belowMDA]

New Zealand has very strict quarantine and agricultural restrictions to protect our resources and environment. Passenger aircraft do not get sprayed as the seats should be pre-imgregnated with insecticide to kill any insects etc that make their way inside. Obviously cargo aircraft without seats must therefore be sprayed manually. It may depend which country the aircraft has come from as to whether it gets the spray treatment.
Hope this helps.

[Susheel]

Hey,

Each time i come into Oz, the F/A's spray the cabin with some sort of spray. They tell us to cover our noses if we should be sensitive. Apparently it is required by law.

Don't really feel comfortable with it, but if it does not harm humans, and prevents outbreaks of any sort so then it should be carried out.

Cheers


Susheel

[gaunty]

And I uinderstand Quarantine has no end of evidence that it works in its collection of exotic dead bugs.

Australia is a unique and fragile environment we guard it jealously.

We sorta screwed it with the rabbits and Cane toads though.:sad:

[ozangel]

Generally most aircraft should have a residual disensection certificate... It lasts a few months I think, and it avoids crew having to go down the aisles with the spray.

For example, when VH-FNY was being used by Alliance, it did not have the residual dissensection, so every international flight it did (honiara/the one time it went to nlk carrying bits and pieces for FWI/when it went to dps and bkk) it had to have the spray in the cabin. This wasnt required on Hotel or India as they kept the residual up to date.

Dont know about cargo though, every arrival on NLK was met by a quarantine officer with a few spray cans.

The first thing they asked for on arrival at most ports was the gen dec and a residual dissensection declaration thingy.

[18-Wheeler]

I fly a 747 freighter into Sydney and Melbourne every now and then, and part of the arrival procedure is to show the immigration officers ten cans of spray that have been emptied into the plane before arrival.

If we don't, there's something like a $50,000 fine.

[psycho joe]

I've flown a Kingair into oz a few times and had to display the can up against the window or windscreen for AQIS to see before opening doors, as well as give the can serial no on the paperwork.

Aircraft operating in the Torres Strait also have to spray on domestic flights.

[Sunfish]

One of the main reasons is that we don't have the Anopheles Mosquito here, yet - thats the one that carries Malaria.

[zulu_kilo]

Yeap. this is very routine. All pax aircraft from NZ bound for AU are required to spray a pre determined amount, after cleaning/catering done, and before pax board.

Inbound to NZ is the same thing. - not that uncommon for the crew to 'loose' the cans or certificate, in which the cabin must be re-sprayed before pax disembark.

[tinpis]

One of the main reasons is that we don't have the Anopheles Mosquito here, yet - thats the one that carries Malaria.

It shows up now and then.

http://www.augk18.dsl.pipex.com/Smileys/cannibal.gif http://www.augk18.dsl.pipex.com/Smileys/cannibal.gif http://www.augk18.dsl.pipex.com/Smileys/cannibal.gif http://www.augk18.dsl.pipex.com/Smileys/cannibal.gif

[flyby_kiwi]

Boeing4Ever - Having been subject to the spray myself (and including being in the LH MD11 that arrives in akl) i would harldy call it an enduring event :yuk:
As other have pointed out most a/c that reguarly visit NZ have a residual spray certificate which LH are not prepared to fork out the $$$ for.
It seems to be more the biz jets and GA types that get the manual spray down and wait is only 5mins before the doors/holds can be reopen. Others can show thier empties which are supposed to sprayed at TOD i believe (bit hard to do this on an MD11 with only 2 crew and however many holds etc to get done at TOD)

[compressor stall]

Remember having an argument about the fact that my spray can was not totally empty after spraying. (AQIS person shook can to make sure it was empty).

After much explaination, I finally got through that the volume of a Shrike cabin was far too small for one can....

But she never worried about the baggage compartment :confused:

CS

[Boeing4ever]

Thanks for all of your replies :D

I didn't think this would be such a wide-spread practice, and I don't understand how a flight crew can deal with so much spraying all the time (even the pre-impregnated veriety)... The cabins of these airplanes must be toxic to some extent also for humans, I imagine. Aren't there any complaints about how the pesticide adversly affects crew's health or is the pesticide really fully harmless to people?

Now that it comes to my mind.. This requirement for pesticide must also be required for ships that come to your countries, right? I wonder how many cans are necessary for that !

And by the way, could someone please give me some links to Aus/NZ aviation forums as I mentioned before?

Thanks, Marco

[Plas Teek]

The 73's I fly internationally have a spray cert. This means that the (internal)surfaces of the aircraft have been sprayed with some sort of insectaside, (not the seats being impregnated as per belowMDA).

In the 6 or so years flying about the pacific and aust I haven't seen a spray can for ages.

[reynoldsno1]

It has been some years since scheduled passenger aircraft in to NZ have had the cabin sprayed with pax still in it....
Last time I travelled to Oz it didn't happen either....

[Mr.Buzzy]

Whew! all this talk of spray is making me nervous!bbbbbbzzzzzzzzzz

Having been on numerous Trans-Tasman flights recently I can attest to the lack of cabin spraying. A walk along Bondi beach on a warm day will however evidence the effectiveness of surface sprays keeping out pests!

bbbbbzzzzzzzzbbbbbbzzheybrozzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz