The photo above shows the number of aircraft flying at 07.55 UK Time on 20/3/2020 - UK/Western Europe. Meanwhile most of Europe is in a lockdown situation to prevent the spread of Coronavirus-COVID-19, where people have been advised or forced by their Governments to stay at home.
Why are people still flying?
Why is the aviation industry exempt during this crisis?
Concerns for Cabin Crew:
From The European Cabin Crew Association - 19/3/2020:
https://eurecca.eu/post/eurecca-calls-coordinated-response-protection-cabin-crew-virus-light-covid-19
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control:
‘At the beginning of the influenza A(H1N1) pandemic in 2009, air travel was the cause of the introduction of this new virus into countries not primarily affected, and aeroplanes are likely to be a major vector when the next pandemic occurs.’
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/seasonal-influenza/travellers-health
Well, here we are with another pandemic and the Airline Industry is still moving people around the globe.
This is from IATA - (Airline Industry Association) who state:
‘HEPA or high efficiency particulate air filters have similar performance to those used to keep the air clean in hospital operating rooms and industrial clean rooms. These filters are very effective at trapping microscopic particles as small as bacteria and viruses.’
https://www.iata.org/contentassets/f1163430bba94512a583eb6d6b24aa56/cabin-air-quality.pdf
PR at Work - Filtration Efficiency Claims: Misleading?
By Bearnairdine Beaumont - Aerotoxic Team.
There you have PR at work, everything is fine since we are doing everything we can to minimize risk.
Ryanair send a message to their customers to reassure them, claiming that HEPA and hospital grade cleaning will do the trick.
https://www.ryanair.com/ie/en/useful-info/disruptions-and-refunds/coronavirus-covid-19/message-from-MOL
But as Dr. Erin Sorrell states:
“Your typical HEPA filter is not going to be able to remove coronavirus from the air,” said Dr. Erin Sorrell, an assistant professor of microbiology and a member of Georgetown’s Center for Global Health Science and Security. “The filter itself is .3 microns and the virus itself is roughly .1 microns.”
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janelytvynenko/dont-buy-an-air-purifier-to-protect-from-coronavirus
Apart from HEPA they are thinking to pump vaporized disinfectant into the air between flights!
"On top of that, airlines want to do more to scrub the air clean: United told Fast Company that it will begin using an electrostatic fogger, which pumps vaporized disinfectant into the air between flights in major hubs, to further clean the air."
This is the design they propose for airliners cabins
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132318301926
P.S.: Now that many planes are grounded should they not take this time to deep clean and do maintenance on the engines?
This was contributed by a friend who is a scientist and is researching into ill health caused by toxic pollution in aircraft breathing air.
READ MORE ABOUT FILTERS HERE, by Reinhard Schuetz/ Eng.: Filtration Efficiency Claims: Misleading?
https://www.aerotoxicteam.com/guest-articles.html
The Airline Industry still deny the long term damage to health caused by aircraft oil, hydraulic fluid and exhaust fumes entering the air supply onboard aircraft.
The Aviation Industry also state that aircraft are safe and sterile because they use HEPA filters.
Please keep yourselves safe during this time and follow the advice from your Government. Hopefully we will be out of this situation very soon. Let’s hope too that this time will enable the Aviation Industry to reflect and react in an appropriate manner.