How Boeing continues to innovate around aircraft sanitisation

Boeing’s Confident Travel Initiative will work with airlines, global regulators, stakeholders, flying passengers, infectious disease experts and behavioral specialists to establish safety recommendations. The team is advising operators on approved disinfectants that are compatible with the airplane flight decks and cabins and testing other sanitizers. Boeing will build on enhanced cleaning, temperature checks, face coverings.

Boeing will promote systems in place to help cabin cleanliness. One such system is air filtration system present on all Boeing airplanes. The air filtration system incorporates High Efficiency Particulate Air filters, similar to those used in hospitals and industrial clean rooms. HEPA filters are 99.9+% effective at removing particulates such as viruses, bacteria and fungi before air is recirculated back to the cabin.

Boeing continues to research new technologies, including ultraviolet light disinfecting systems and antimicrobial coatings for high-touch surfaces. The company is working with academics, health experts and learning institutions worldwide to field studies and facilitate research on reducing the potential of disease transmission on airplanes. As part of Boeing’s Confident Travel Initiative, a handheld ultraviolet light wand will be tested to determine its effectiveness in disinfecting flight decks and cabins.

Boeing’s UV wand is an emerging innovation that supports multiple layers of protection in place to disinfect the inside of an airplane. UV light can be scanned inches away from aircraft interior surfaces, disinfecting areas and surfaces where the light reaches. UV light has been shown to be effective at neutralising pathogens. Testing is ongoing to validate effectiveness and safety.