Amid the unprecedented pandemic triggered by the coronavirus which has gripped not only the nation, but has engulfed the world at large, it is the primary responsibility of airlines to take all possible steps to ensure to the extent they can, that the coronavirus does not infect and spread amongst the passengers flying on board the airliners. It is also equally important for the airlines to take appropriate steps to eliminate all possibility of the aircrew, cabin crew, maintenance personnel as also all other members of the staff associated with the operation of the aircraft from being exposed to the menace of this scourge. One measure adopted by operators of airlines the world over to prevent being infected by the coronavirus, is to ensure that the aircraft are properly sanitised to prevent the coronavirus from affecting any passenger or member of the operating staff during travel by the aircraft, its maintenance or ground handling of the aircraft. In the final analysis, the responsibility with the airlines to take appropriate preventive measures against possible infection by coronavirus would lie in the domain of air safety.

ROUTINE SANITISING THE AIRCRAFT

It has been a general practice by airlines so far to have the cabin crew assisted by the ground staff if available, to clean up the aircraft during turn around that is in the period between its arrival in the parking slot on the tarmac after completing one leg of the flight and its taxiing out for the next leg of the flight. However, this cleaning is somewhat peripheral in nature as it involves collection of disposable items or trash from passengers seated for the next leg of the flight or such items left behind by passengers that have already disembarked. But when the aircraft completes its flying task for the day and is back at its permanent base, the process of cleaning which may take up to six hours is certainly much more thorough especially if the aircraft is scheduled to undertake an international flight next. Periodically, an aircraft may even be taken off from flight schedule in order to be subjected to a much more thorough cleaning process. Each of the airlines across the globe have their own cleaning schedules. The aim however, is common which is to give the aircraft interior a fresh or even a new look for its inaugural mission the following day. Apart from deeper scrub, the cabin of the aircraft is treated with some disinfectants as well; but possibly not potent enough to counter the deadly coronavirus.

COPING WITH NEWLY EMERGING THREAT

With the threat of infection by coronavirus that has now spread practically all over the world like a wildfire, it has now become incumbent on airlines across the globe to adopt new and more effective measures to tackle the emerging threat to passengers as also all other personnel associated with the operations of airlines. One method that the airlines have adopted to deal with the situation is better and more effective method of sanitisation of the aircraft especially its interior to ensure it is free of any infecting agent. Airlines in the United States (US) have begun the sanitise the cockpit as well as the cabin of the aircraft in such a way that the crew and passengers can touch any soft or hard surface while boarding the aircraft for a flight, during or disembarking after landing. Parts of the aircraft that are prone to be touched more frequently need to be disinfected. These include armrests, window shades, television screens on the back of seats, folding tray tables, seat belts and clips, overhead bins and lavatories. Some airlines from the US even go to the extent of sanitising catering services and galley equipment especially on international flights. United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Airlines follow the practice of sanitising all of the cutlery, tableware, dishes and glassware before they are washed and made ready to be used again. Any leftovers of food and other consumables are consigned to the waste bin after arrival at destination to ensure that these are not used again.

As per the Director of Airport Operations, Delta Airlines, Atlanta, the process of fogging is highly effective against many communicable diseases, including the coronavirus

Sanitising the cabin of the aircraft involves spraying or wiping surfaces by any one disinfectant from the list approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the US. Incidentally, EPA provides not only a range of disinfectants, but vital information very useful for the people at large to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus now dubbed as COVID 19.

USE OF FOG MACHINES

A number of carriers amongst which Delta Airlines is one example, instead of providing mops soaked in disinfectant, use fog machines to spray a high grade disinfectant on the complete surface of the cabin after every flight. The fog machine can effectively coat every part of the cabin with fine aerosol, including the ceiling, seats, trays, floor, lavatories, crew rest areas and galleys. This technique is far more effective as the spray from the fog machine can reach every nook and corner in the cabin which is not possible through wipes. As per the Director of Airport Operations, Delta Airlines, Atlanta the process of fogging is highly effective against many communicable diseases, including the coronavirus. United Airlines is also following this method for its fleet of airliners deployed for international flights.

FILTERING THE AIR INSIDE THE AIRCRAFT

Apart from sanitising the high touch areas in the cabin and the cockpit, it is also necessary to sanitise or more appropriately, purify the air in the cabin that passengers will breathe during the several hours spent on board while on a flight. For this aircraft are equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, similar to those used in operation theatres of hospitals. In view of the new threat from coronavirus, this air filtering facility has now acquired significantly greater importance. The HEPA filter is capable of drawing fresh air from outside and replacing the complete volume of air inside the aircraft once every two to four minutes or 15 to 30 times in an hour. This highly efficient filter is capable of removing 99.7 per cent of airborne particles present in the volume of air inside the aircraft. This equipment in effect keeps the air inside the aircraft sanitised.

FRESH MANDATE BY THE DGCA

To cope with the threat of COVID 19, the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued fresh guidelines on disinfecting aircraft carrying passengers. The latest directive from the regulator lays down the requirement to sanitise the aircraft as follows: “All aircraft shall be subjected to deep cleaning and disinfection at least once in 24 hours. All aircraft shall be subjected to disinfectant during transit halts, when there are no passengers on board. In case of transit passengers being on board during transit halts, at least the lavatories and galleys shall be disinfected.” The regulator has also asked airlines to place hand sanitisers on all aircraft and one or more universal precaution kits to protect the crew, who are at high risk of infection. The regulator has made it mandatory for the crew to wear gloves and masks on flights to countries affected by the virus and has discontinued breath analyser test for aircrew to prevent transmission of the coronavirus.

With the nationwide lockdown and suspension of civil flights, the problem of proper sanitisation of aircraft has now been reduced to only those flights that are being undertaken to evacuate those national stranded abroad. However, with the normalisation of the situation hopefully in not too distant a future, techniques of sanitising of aircraft is an area that will need much greater focus and attention on the part of the management of the civil aviation industry as also the regulatory authorities.