Risk of Infection

• Air India pilots are considered at risk of infection. According to a number of pilots, PPE provided is inadequate and there have been cases when quarantine has been violated, with possibly infected crew continuing to work.
• COVID-19 does not spread faster in airplanes compared to elsewhere. Air is passed through a hospital-grade filtering system, meaning the risk of spread is no higher. The main concern comes to touching frequently touched areas.
• Airlines have increased cleaning procedures. Airlines such as JetBlue and Delta are deep-cleaning their planes more thoroughly, which will help reduce spread.
• Despite coming in contact with passengers who have tested positive for COVID-19, a number of flight attendants and pilots are being told to continue to fly unless displaying symptoms. SouthWest Airlines, American Airlines and Delta employees have all reported such policies.

Numbers Infected

• In a study of a flight with 325 passengers and crew members, it appeared there was one carrier traveling from Wuhan who brought COVID-19 onto the flight. A further eleven passengers tested positive after the flight, but none needed intensive care units. None of the crew were infected.
• In Canada, as of April 2, at least 14 flight attendants have tested positive for COVID-19.
• Estimates suggest that there could be at least 1000 employees of Air Canada who have needed to be quarantined, as of March 31.
• As of March 31, WestJet has stated that seven of its employees have been infected with COVID-19. At Air Transat, over 200 employees are in quarantine and two pilots and five flight attendants have reported testing positive.
•  Hundreds of flight attendants and pilots have fallen ill and as of April 12, at least five have died from COVID-19.

Other

• A crew member with a disease has the probability of infecting 4.6 passengers, according to a study on disease transmission on airplanes.
•  Drivers and transport workers account for 18% of work-related COVID-19 cases. In 47.7% of early cases, transmission is most likely work-related.
• A flight attendant infected more than 100 people in Singapore with SARS, considered a super-spreading event.
• Studies on flights carrying patients with SARS estimate illness spread to 18 more passengers out of a plane carrying 120 people. However, on other flights with passengers with symptomatic and presymptomatic SARS, one or no other passengers were infected.