ANA Debuts World’s First Hands-Free Lavatory Doors

All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan’s largest 5-Star airline, has partnered with JAMCO Corporation to develop the world’s first hands-free door that allows easy access to lavatories on its aircraft. The innovative door was developed as part of the ANA Care Promise initiative and will help limit potential vectors for the transmission of pathogens. The first hands-free doors will be introduced to domestic flights starting May 1.

“Guided by the principles of ANA Care Promise, we have continued to invest in the development and implementation of innovative technologies because the health and safety of passengers and our staff is the top priority,” said Shinichi Inoue, Senior Executive Vice President, Customer Experience Management & Planning. “The hands-free lavatory door is the latest example of us putting this principle into practice as we look for ways to make the travel experience safer and more convenient.”

The new lavatory door is equipped with a large inner door locking knob and an additional handle so that passengers can use their elbows to unlock the door. Because the door mechanism is different to those found on other aircraft, signage has been placed near the lavatory to provide operational instructions.

The hands-free lavatory will be installed on 11 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, two Boeing 787-9 aircraft, and eight Boeing 777-200s. The initial installation will be for aircrafts serving domestic routes, while ANA hopes to introduce the system to all domestic and international aircraft in the future.

To help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and other pathogens, ANA has instituted the ANA Care Promise program which goes above and beyond the recommendations from public health officials in order to keep passengers and employees healthy. With such efforts, ANA is the first airline in Asia and only the fourth in the world to receive the SKYTRAX Airline Safety 5-Star rating which confirms the effectiveness of ANA Care Promise.

By Joe Cusmano