Emirates Wanted To Recycle Shower Water On A380

One week after Emirates received their first Airbus A380, the Dubai-based airline gave the United States its first scheduled service of the super jumbo today...and it did not include drinking recycled shower water. The airline had originally planned to take the water from it's now infamous on board showers and have it recycled while airborne and reused for passengers who partake in this service. The idea, seen as a weight saving measure, was shot down by European regulators even though Emirates president Tim Clark claims he "has seen demonstrations of contaminated water being turned to drinking quality following normal and then ultra-violet filtration." If they're trying to create incentive for buying a $5 bottle of water in the air, they're doing a good job here. All of Emirates' three-class configured A380s will have two of these shower-spa cabinets which seem very nice, although sharing this shower with other people on a flight may be an invitation for athlete's foot. The aircraft will now have to carry about 25% more water which means more unwanted in-flight weight. Clark even conceded that Emirates chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum was "not keen" on the idea of using recycled water for showers on their A380s, although he is hopeful regulators will ultimately ease their stance on the issue. Emirates is quite proud of their shower setup that took almost four years to develop this "masterpiece of engineering". But let's be honest now. Who doesn't pee in the shower? Think about that one while you're rinsing off at 37,000 feet.

(Flight Global)

Home to PointNiner