With the opening of the borders of intra-community countries first and of some non-community countries later, many people wonder if taking a plane is safe or, if on the contrary, the probability of being infected by COVID-19 is high. A priori, it might seem that getting into a closed space like an airplane right now is not the best of ideas, but is it really so?
The air that circulates inside the cabin of most aircraft comes from two ways. Approximately 50% of it is new air that comes from outside and is captured through the engines. This reaches a temperature higher than 200º C (although later it is conveniently refrigerated to be able to be used in the cabin in a suitable way), which ensures that any pathogen is destroyed thanks to this temperature jump.
The rest of the air we breathe inside the planes is recirculated. This is retrieved from the cabin and goes through a ‘cleaning’ circuit before being returned. During this process , high-efficiency filtering systems are used, among which the HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters and the active carbon filters stand out. These systems are highly efficient, similar to that of the FFP3 masks, according to the study carried out by the aeronautical manufacturer Airbus in which the filters of the A320 family of aircraft are analyzed with an efficiency of 99.99%. These filters also have other applications, notably their use in hospital operating rooms.
The air inside the plane is renewed in its entirety 20 to 30 times every hour, which is once every 2-3 minutes, much less time than in other conventional closed spaces such as supermarkets, gyms or offices. In addition, the air flow in the aircraft follows an adequate path, helping to reduce the possibility of contagion since it is incorporated through the upper part of the aircraft fuselage and recovered from the lower part (at ground level), so that its circulation is reduced longitudinally or transversely, minimizing its sharing between passengers sitting in adjacent rows or seats.
A really low risk
Although all these technical characteristics are important, not less are all the actions that the airlines are taking in terms of distancing and cleaning the airplanes. Thus, more and more companies are adopting new protocols of action such as the measurement of body temperature of all passengers before boarding, the obligation to wear a mask during the duration of the flight, the reduction of sales services on board or exhaustive disinfection of airplanes between flights.
It is the set of all these measures that has led the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to affirm that the risk of contagion during a flight is very low. IATA, in several published studies, gives as examples the flight between Wuhan to Toronto (Canada) in which a passenger with coronavirus symptoms traveled or another flight between China and the United States with 12 symptomatic passengers. In both cases, no further transmission was detected.
Although the risk is low, there is never zero risk and therefore you should not lower your guard. Common measures such as disinfecting your hands regularly, avoiding moving around the plane during the flight or touching surfaces that are not strictly necessary are highly recommended on journeys, not only by plane but also in any type of collective transport.
