Air travel safe from SARS - Business Travel

Business Asia, May, 2003 by Stephanie Nebehay

The global airline industry and the World Health Organization (WHO) have reassured air travellers who have avoided flying since the SARS outbreak that the risk of catching the deadly virus on planes was "very low". Giovanni Bisignani, director-general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said that no suspected cases of onboard SARS transmission had been detected since Asian countries worst hit by the flu-like scourge began screening passengers in April.

Passenger volumes dropped dramatically in April due to SARS, and "not just in Asia", he said.

Prior to pre-departure screening for high temperatures (in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore)--only five cases of SARS transmitted inflight had been detected. They were among 200 million air travellers since early March, one-third in Asia.

"Our most important issue is to keep infected SARS patients out of the plane. A very strong and rigorous pre-departure screening was very important to prevent the virus from crossing borders," said Bisignani, former head of Italy's Alitalia. "We have put things in place, the results are there. So we want to reassure our passengers," he said.

The WHO, which has been working to combat the new disease which first emerged late last year in China, believed the risk of transmission on board an aircraft was "very low," WHO and airline officials said. Air ventilation and filtration systems on board are effective, according to Bisignani. "Travel by air is safe. The cabin air quality is as pure as a hospital intensive care unit," he said. WHO's Mark Salter said: "In most countries where SARS has occurred there are very few new cases occurring. If there are fewer cases occurring, then there is less likelihood that anybody will approach an airport with SARS."

A recent decision by ASEAN leaders to standardise screening "will only further decrease the likelihood of a patient with SARS getting onto a plane in the first place," the expert said.

Bisignani reiterated that airline carriers worldwide face US$10 billion ($15.4 billion) in losses on international and domestic travel this year due to the twin impacts of the Iraq war and SARS. The Geneva-based body represents 277 airlines in 180 countries.