Traveling by plane after coronavirus: mandatory masks, four hours before departure at airports the temperature to be measured ...

After the coronavirus epidemic takes place in the world and air traffic between countries is restored, travel by plane will be completely different from the time before the pandemic - both in the airports themselves and in the airplanes. This will require even more time and patience, writes the information portal Deutsche Welle.

One thing is certain: when it comes to air travel, returning to the old world as it was before the coronavirus will not be quick and probably even impossible. Already now, the world is widely discussing the topics in which form it would be possible to resume air flights. First of all, the question arises whether it is necessary to leave empty those seats in the aircraft cabin that are between two seats (if 3 or 4 seats are in the same row). Some airlines, such as the Irish low-cost airline Ryanair, categorically reject this decision. “In that case, we would rather not fly,” said Michael O'Leary, owner of Ryanair Airlines.

Namely, it has not yet been proven that the empty spots in the middle can reduce the risk of coronavirus infection. Despite this, many airlines block seats in the middle between two seats, at least when it comes to the first phase of air travel. “This is pure cosmetics and science has not yet proven that this measure is necessary to combat the spread of coronavirus,” says Shashank Nigam, head of the consulting firm Simpliflying.

Masks and additional control

Until now, the competent services are not aware of cases of coronavirus infection in an airplane. Airlines have repeatedly emphasized that, thanks to high-quality particulate filters, air in planes is at least as clean as in operating rooms. They also indicate that the airflow in the aircraft is from top to bottom, which further reduces the risk of virus infection.

In accordance with the rules that were recently introduced in many countries of the world, wearing protective masks will also be a prerequisite for a person to be at the airport and on the plane. In Canada, this rule is already in place, and on May 4, Lufthansa asks all passengers to wear mouth and nose protection.

Traveling by plane can differ significantly from previous flights: crew members will be in protective suits, all passengers will be wearing masks and gloves, the inside of the aircraft will be disinfected before each take-off, crew members will receive hand sanitizer every half hour. Special staff will also take care of toilet and kitchen hygiene throughout the flight. Due to such intensive cleaning and disinfection of the aircraft cabin and a longer procedure for boarding and disembarking, aircraft will be on the runways for more time. After landing at the airport, all passengers will need to present a certificate of immunity to the virus and go through a temperature scanner. Also, before you pick up your luggage, it will be sanitized again. All this boils down to the fact that for many people flying on airplanes will no longer be as fast and fun as it was before.

Simpliflying has now developed a scenario for what air traffic might look like after a pandemic in the disinfection era. “The changes will be at least as large as after September 11, 2001, if not more, and they will be permanent,” Shashank Nigam predicts. In a recent study, he suggested that in the future air travel might look something like this: it is possible that a person will need to send some kind of proof of immunity (certificate) before flying, which proves that he has antibodies to Covid-19 coronavirus infection.

Interesting innovations

Currently, aircraft seat manufacturers are presenting their vision of what the cabin will look like after a coronavirus pandemic. The Italian company Aviointeriors designed the protective compartment in the form of a “hood” made of Plexiglas, which covers the shoulders and head of the passenger, which is a bit like an old telephone box.

“Such a hygiene partition could intelligently address issues of comfort, privacy, hygiene and social distance between people,” said Ingo Wuggetzer of Airbus. However, not a single airline in the world has a similar post-crowning protective structure on airplanes, Deutsche Welle writes.