Air New Zealand is putting three of its aircraft through a “deep clean” and contacting customers after a passenger who traveled on its services tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
The AirNZ confirmation comes after a 40-year-old man traveling on Virgin Australia flight VA-1368 from Melbourne to Tasmania on March 1 tested positive to the disease.
The Launceston Examiner reported public health officials in Tasmania were trying to contact 140 people on the Virgin flight, concentrating on the 15 closest to the victim.
Passengers who have tested positive have also traveled to Australia on Qatar Airways and Malindo Air flights.
The Kiwi carrier said the passenger traveled from Singapore to Auckland on flight NZ283 on February 25 and then on flights NZ5103 and NZ82114 between Auckland and Palmerston North on March 2.
New Zealand media said the woman was returning from a holiday in northern Italy and was in isolation at home.
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Air New Zealand said it was working closely with New Zealand’s Ministry of health and government agencies to identify and contact customers who traveled on the Singapore service and two regional flights.
Chief medical officer Dr. Ben Johnston said the airline had anticipated and planned for the scenario and had a robust process to manage its response.
“We are working closely with the Ministry of Health to identify and proactively contact customers from these flights,” he said.
“This includes utilizing our own contact center staff.
“The health and safety of passengers and crew is Air New Zealand’s top priority and our aircraft already undergo a thorough cleaning process, which includes cleaning surfaces such as tray tables and inflight entertainment screens with a disinfectant that kills viruses.
“We also remove all headsets, headrest covers, pillow covers, and blankets after every international flight. Domestic and regional services surfaces and bathrooms are wiped with disinfectant spray.
“The three aircraft this customer flew on will now also undergo a deep clean.”
Listen to Air New Zealand chief operational integrity and standards officer Dave Morgan discuss the airline’s response to COVID-19.
Deep cleaning involves staff wearing protective equipment cleaning all surfaces near an affected seat with cleaning agents and disinfectants. This includes the walls, windows and even the safety card.
Air New Zealand is expecting the virus to slash up to $NZ75 million off its earnings and is cutting capacity to compensate for the fall in demand, particularly on services to Asia.
It has also been slashing fares to fill seats, including a $NZ9 domestic promotion that sold out 1000 seats and 32 domestic routes within minutes of its release.
The International Air Transport Association says that aircraft air conditioning systems are equipped with high-energy particulate air (HEPA) filters that can screen more than 99.9 percent of airborne threats, including microbes and viruses.
Air is refreshed every two to three minutes in the newest planes with about 50 percent of it coming from outside.
This means the risk of contracting a virus on an aircraft is lower than the risk from daily activities such as traveling by bus or train or working in an office.
