Airlines oppose a physical distancing to avoid the dissemination of Covid-19 on board aircraft, estimating that this measure could increase the price of tickets by more than 50%, their federation Iata said on Tuesday.
If companies were asked to leave the seat in the middle empty, the maximum occupancy rate of planes would fall "to 62%, well below the breakeven point (of a flight) of 77%", estimates the association International Air Transport Authority (Iata). Ticket prices could then increase by "43 to 54%, depending on the region, just to cover operational costs", adds Iata which brings together 290 airlines.
Iata advocates the wearing of a mask for travelers and crew among the health precautions to be put in place "temporarily when air traffic will resume", a measure which it believes would reduce the "already low risk" of transmission to edge.
Limitation of travel during the flight
The organization said it had examined the cases of 1,100 passengers who had been confirmed to be carrying the Covid-19 after traveling by plane. According to her, no case of transmission was found among more than 100,000 passengers traveling on the same plane, and only two potential cases were detected among the crew members.
To complete the wearing of the mask, the Iata calls for temperature control, boarding procedures avoiding contact, limiting movement during the flight, “simplified” catering on board and more frequent and more thorough cleaning. cabins.
For Iata, there are several "plausible reasons" for explaining that the coronavirus does not spread further on board by the diffusion of micro-droplets during sneezing, coughing or speaking.
Filters are "of a quality equivalent to that of an operating theater"
“Passengers look in front of them with little face-to-face interaction, the seats act as a barrier, air ventilation is done from top to bottom, reducing possible transmission to the front or rear of the cabin (… ) and, on the most recent planes, the filters are of a quality equivalent to that of an operating theater, ”lists the Iata.
Among the long-term solutions, Iata cites "a vaccine, an immune passport or a test of Covid-19 which can be developed on a large scale". Discussions are underway at the level of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with Iata and the organization of ACI airports to decide on the measures to be taken. set up, according to Iata.
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