How safe is air travel in Covid times since the cabin is a confined space? As this anxiety lowers flight occupancy rates, international airlines are now beckoning travelers with a safety fix: High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters that are claimed to suck out 99% of airborne contaminants in the cabin.
Leading the information campaign is Emirates with this statement: “Cabin air is extracted into the air conditioning unit through HEPA filters that remove 99.9% of microscopic particles such as bacteria viruses, and fungi from the air-as effective as the filters used in hospital operation theatres.”
Much before the Covid-19 outbreak, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) had come out with a briefing on HEPA in 2018:
