Airlines are gradually resuming operations, and while people are looking forward to being able to fly again, there is hesitancy and concern around the health risks of air travel.
To ensure that travellers feel safe, Boeing created the Confident Travel Initiative (CTI). The company will work with stakeholders across the aviation industry’s eco-system to establish industry-recognised cleaning and disinfecting recommendations.
Jim Haas, Director – Product Marketing, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said Boeing is committed to the health of airline passengers and crew. “We’re working with partners to enhance aircraft cleanliness procedures and to develop common system-wide standards that will be key to a safe experience from curbside to airplane," he said.
Probably the most significant contributor is the air filtration system which incorporates High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters already present on all commercial airplanes that Boeing delivers and are similar to filters used in hospitals.
Boeing will work with stakeholders across the aviation industry’s eco-system to establish industry-recognised cleaning and disinfecting recommendations. Picture: Supplied.
Boeing will work with stakeholders across the aviation industry’s eco-system to establish industry-recognised cleaning and disinfecting recommendations. Picture: Supplied.
Haas explained that half of the cabin air is from outside the airplane, and half is recirculated from inside the cabin.
He revealed that before recirculated air is returned to the cabin, it passes through the HEPA filters, which remove more than 99.9%+ of any particulate matter that may be present.
He said air flows from the ceiling to floor, not front to back, which helps minimise particulates spreading throughout the cabin. This recirculation happens approximately 20-30 times an hour, or once every two to three minutes.
Although HEPA has not yet been tested with the Covid-19 virus, according to Mayo Clinic, the average size of a Covid-19 particle is 0.12 – 0.125 microns. HEPA filters have been tested at these particle sizes and shown the efficiency to be more than 99.9+%.
Boeing revealed the company is evaluating promising research regarding ultraviolet disinfection that can be used safely and quickly to clean high-touch surfaces in airplane interiors such as ultraviolet light wands for disinfection, and using anti-microbial and anti-viral coatings on surfaces and high-touch points throughout the cabin.
Besides passenger airplanes, the company will also work with airlines on the safe transportation of cargo in this new environment
Boeing president and CEO David Calhoun said: “As air travel slowly begins to increase and restrictions ease around the globe, the health and safety of flight crews and the flying public remains our top priority. This effort will help ensure flying is even safer in the future than it is today.”