A new campaign has been launched calling for all commercial passenger jet aircrafts to have a more effective air filtration and warning system in place.
The campaign, which is entitled the ‘Clean Air Campaign’, has been launched by the Global Cabin Air Quality Executive (GCAQE). They are asking for Governments and regulatory bodies throughout the world to mandate sensors warning against contaminated air on aircrafts.
In a statement released this week, they claim to be supported by several aviation organisations, including the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF), the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the European Cabin Crew Association (EurECCA).
Their statement also detailed a stark warning in relation to the air within certain aircrafts, which reads: “Over the last 20 years, there have been over 50 recommendations and findings made by 12 air accident departments globally, directly related to contaminated air exposures on passenger jet aircraft.
“However, commercial aircraft continue to fly, with no contaminated air warning systems to notify passengers and crews when the air they are breathing is contaminated”
The statement points towards a “design flaw” relating to how the breathing air is supplied. It states that all passenger jet aircraft (except the Boeing 787) is providing breathing “to passengers and crews unfiltered directly from the compression section of the engines or from the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU).”
This is a process known as ‘bleed air’. Bleed air’ is viewed as a particular problem by the GCAQE.
GCAQE Spokesperson Captain Tristan Loraine is also quoted, stating: “In the GCAQE’s view, despite knowing about this issue for decades, aviation regulators around the world…
have failed to mandate the installation of effective contaminated air warning systems or ‘bleed air’ filtration systems. They have also failed to require airlines to inform crews or passengers about these exposures”
The GCAQE has released two educational films to support their argument, which can be viewed here at www.gcaqe.org/cleanair.
