Risk of COVID-19 transmission inflight low, suggests IATA's new research

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic which has gripped the world with health infrastructures struggling and economies grappling, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has contended that the risk of COVID-19 infection during a flight journey is minimal. 

About 1.2 billion people are said to have travelled since the start of 2020 of which about 44 cases are said to have been caused during the flight journey. Also, IATA said that the majority of the cases during the flight journey have occurred in the period when face masks were not made a mandatory precaution against COVID-19.

"The risk of a passenger contracting Covid-19 while onboard appears very low. With only 44 identified potential cases of flight-related transmission among 1.2 billion travellers, that is one case for every 27 million travellers," said Dr David Powell, IATA's Medical Advisor.

He said that the data could be an underestimate but even if 90 per cent of the cases were unreported, it would be one case for every 2.7 million travellers. These figures are "extremely reassuring".

"Furthermore, the vast majority of published cases occurred before the wearing of face coverings inflight became widespread," he added.

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Simulation by Airbus, Boing and Embraer

After the data was published, IATA's Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac compared the cases of COVID-19 infection during flight journey to that of being struck by lightning.

"Nothing is completely risk-free. But with just 44 published cases of potential inflight Covid-19 transmission among 1.2 billion travellers, the risk of contracting the virus on board appears to be in the same category as being struck by lightning," he said.

The data comes after aeroplane manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing and Embraer conducted computational fluid dynamics (CFD) research in their respective aircraft. Although the methodologies used by these companies differed slightly, each simulation confirmed that aircraft airflow systems are capable of controlling the movement of particles in the cabin, thus controlling the spread of viruses. There were similar results of the research conducted by the aeroplane manufacturers.

COVID-19 has infected more than 3 crore 68 lakh people across the globe, of which, over more than ten lakh people have died due to the virus, even as the countries across the world are grappling to come up with a potential vaccine to negate the effect of the virus.

(With ANI inputs)

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