Emirates has showcased an environmentally friendly aircraft cleaning technique, which is designed to help the airline save millions of litres of water annually.

Unlike traditional processes, the technique used by Emirates requires little or no water to clean an aircraft.

Emirates' aircraft drywash technique involves a liquid cleaning product that is first applied manually to the entire external surface.

Clean microfibre fabric is then used to remove the dried product and any residual dirt, leaving the aircraft clean and polished.

"Using the technique, Emirates has been able to save more than 11 million litres of water every year."

Emirates has been using the technique to clean its fleet of more than 250 aircraft since last year.

The airline noted that during every flight, an aircraft accumulates dust and grime on its external surface.

Apart from making the aircraft look unclean, accumulated dirt increases fuel consumption by making the plane heavier and less aerodynamic.

Aircraft is traditionally cleaned using highly pressurised water between four and five times every year.

However, the aircraft drywash technique uses, on average, more than 11,300l of water to clean one Airbus A380 aircraft, and over 9,500l of water to clean a Boeing 777 aircraft every time.

It also takes a crew of 15 staff nearly 12h to clean an A380 and approximately nine hours to clean a Boeing 777 aircraft.

Using the technique, Emirates has been able to save more than 11 million litres of water every year.

Emirates has also used various other techniques to show its commitment towards the environment, including a foam wash technique for cleaning aircraft engines that saves around 200t of carbon dioxide emissions a year across its fleet.