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Jetliner Cabins Are Quickly Cleared of Virus, Pentagon Says

Jetliner Cabins Are Quickly Cleared of Virus, Pentagon Says

Particles the size of the new coronavirus are quickly purged from a commercial aircraft cabin, according to a U.S. Defense Department study touted by United Airlines Holdings Inc. in its effort to reassure wary travelers.

Filtration systems and rapid air-exchange rates mean that only about 0.003% of infected particles entered a masked passenger’s breathing zone, said the report, released Thursday.

United posted a video about the study on social media and said it would use the findings in other marketing areas, including emails to customers.

Airlines have sought to assure the public that flying is safe by requiring face masks, improving ventilation and filtration and using new cleaning and disinfecting procedures. But the industry has been unable to convey the chances of catching the virus on a plane. Domestic air travel is about a third of last year’s level and international traffic is even lower.

The study was initiated by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. The work included 83 hours of ground and in-flight testing for tracer particles released in various sections of United 777-200 and 767-300 wide-body cabins. The Chicago-based airline and Boeing Co., which made the planes, contributed staff for the study.

The test used equipment to track 300 aerosol releases of 180 million particles in total to simulate how the virus moves.

“Rapid dilution, mixing and purging of aerosol from the index source was observed due to both airframes’ high air-exchange rates, downward ventilation design, and HEPA-filtered recirculation,” according to the study, which was conducted in August.

Transportation Command said it released the report before sending it to a scientific journal for peer review because it recognized “the need for timeliness of this information to the public.”

The study is “the most significant announcement that’s come out” in recent weeks, United Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby said. The wide-body tests “are indicative of what happens on every aircraft.”

“An aircraft is just a remarkably safe environment,” he said on a earnings call with analysts. The company posted a larger than expected loss Wednesday afternoon.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.