WISCONSIN, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The U.S. Department of Defense’s recent study suggests that the likelihood of contracting COVID-19 on an airplane is very low.
United Airlines says it’s “almost non-existent” as long as all passengers have masks on.
Local airports have worked to restore confidence so that people feel safe traveling on an airplane again.
“We’ve also implemented a number of measures at the airport including social distancing, touchless features, but also significant cleaning,” Appleton International Airport director Abe Weber said.
“I think it’s something that we’ve all been talking about from an airline standpoint for months,” Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport Director Marty Piette said.
Weber and Piette tells FOX they hope that a study like the DOD’s will help with that.
The DOD teamed up with United Airlines to test airflow on planes.
“The air filtration systems on an aircraft is extremely specialized. It blows air from top to bottom and picks that air up and pushes it through the HEPA filtration, removing any particles. And it really has been shown by studies to be as if you were sitting 6 feet apart when you’re right next to somebody,” Weber said. He says, “It does provide a little bit more confidence that this is a safe travel experience on board an airplane, through an airport, as long as you’re wearing your mask, you’re staying 6 feet apart, you’re washing your hands.”
“The study I think lends a big part in that recovery to gain that passenger confidence,” Piette said.
“As more and more passengers get out and travel we’ll see more flights coming to Appleton. As more people grow, as air traffic grows. We’ll certainly see more flights,” Weber said.
Although air travel is not what it used to be, Weber and Piette hope this study helps the industry take off once again.
