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The risk of exposure to the coronavirus on flights is very low, according to a study by the US Department of Defense.
This will be seen as a positive sign for the airline industry as it tries to recover from the pandemiccrushing effect on travel.
When a seated passenger wears a mask, an average of 0.003% of air particles within the breathing zone around a person’s head are infectious, even when all seats are occupied, the study suggests.
A United Airlines passenger jet-taxis at Newark Liberty International Airport. Stock Image
The test assumed that there was only one infected person on the plane and did not simulate the effects of passenger movement around the cabin.
Experts conducted the study on a United Airlines Boeing 777 and 767 aircraft and say it showed that the masks helped minimize exposure to infections when someone coughed, including in neighboring seats.
It found that approximately 99.99% of the particulates leaked out of the cabin in six minutes due to rapid air circulation, downward air ventilation, and the aircraft’s filtration systems.
And he estimated that a passenger would need to fly 54 hours on a plane with someone who has coronavirus to receive an infectious dose.
“These results … signify your chances of COVID-19 exposure on a United aircraft is almost non-existent, even if your flight is full, “said United Airlines director of customer service Toby Enqvist.
The study was led and funded by Transportation Command, which operates Patriot Express flights using commercial jets like United’s for members of the military and their families.
It was carried out over six months and involved 300 tests during 38 flight hours and 45 hours of ground testing.
Aviation has been one of the sectors most affected during the pandemic, with a substantial drop in demand
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said it had identified just 44 flight-related COVID-19 cases since the beginning of 2020, compared to some 1.2 billion passengers who have traveled during that time.
IATA Director General Alexandre de Juniac said “nothing is completely risk free”, but published cases of possible COVID-19 transmission during the flight show that “the risk of contracting the virus on board appears to be in the same category as lightning “.
The pandemic has hit the aviation industry hard, and in the US, the number of air travel is still 65% lower than it was a year ago.
