Abu Dhabi's Etihad Aviation Group is to manufacture 1.3 million face masks in three months to safeguard staff in the air and on the ground against the threat of Covid-19. Etihad Engineering, the maintenance and repair arm of the national airline, will produce the protective attire at its new in-house face mask factory. The face masks will be distributed to Etihad Airways cabin crew as well as ground staff, catering, cargo, engineering employees and medical professionals. The manufacturing facility boasts fully automated machines which can produce up to 20,000 masks per day. The masks have three layers and provide up to 98 per cent filtration, ensuring high levels of protection and safety. “Since the start of the pandemic, we witnessed consistent demand for face masks at the workplace," said Haytham Nasir, vice president of airframe services at Etihad Engineering. "With the safety, health and wellbeing of our customers and employees our paramount concern and top priority, we saw an opportunity to be self-sufficient. "To provide the highest level of protection, this new facility not only meets our internal demands but we can also mass produce for third-party customers, partners, and suppliers”. Before the production of the protective equipment was given the go-ahead, prototypes of the product were put through a series of stringent tests to ensure they met quality standards required for use by its workers. The masks were subsequently medically approved by two certifying bodies, Italy's Laboratorio Analisi Tecnal and CNTAC, of China. The state-of-the-art manufacturing machine has nose and earlobe welding capabilities to design masks that provide full facial coverage to ensure daily protection for anyone wearing it. A heat stamp feature also prints logos on the face mask, making it customisable for any organisation. Masks can be produced in a variety of colours. The large scale project is just the latest effort by the national carrier to utilise its in-house talent and technological resources to lead the fight against Covid-19. In July, <em>The National </em>told how Khalil Lari, who is part of the engineering team at Etihad Airways, collaborated with his co-workers to produce a reusable shield and bracket to safeguard people from Covid-19. He came up with the idea after hearing complaints from friends and colleagues about having to wear uncomfortable and ill-fitting face masks at work. The team designed six different prototypes before settling on the final product, which was 3D-printed at the airline's engineering laboratory in Abu Dhabi. The shields were given to healthcare staff at a number of different Seha clinics across the city as well as volunteers at Emirates Red Crescent.
