Aircrew Covid risk overstated – BARNZ

20th August 2020 By Shannon Williams | shannon@tourismticker.com | @tourismticker

New Zealanders should be more worried about the economic shock of airlines pulling out of the country than the risk of contracting Covid-19 from aircrew, says the Board of Airline Representatives New Zealand.

BARNZ executive director Justin Tighe-Umbers said of the 11 airlines still flying internationally to New Zealand, none had any reported aircrew cases of the virus since April.

He said the concern should be if the Ministry of Health conditions became too stringent for airlines to operate.

Justin Tighe-Umbers

“The Ministry of Health requirements for overseas-based aircrew are pretty specific,” Tighe-Umbers said.

“Basically after using dedicated transport from the airport, aircrew have to self-isolate in their hotel rooms during any stopover. Meals are delivered to their rooms and they cannot use the pool, gym or any other recreational area. They cannot congregate with other crew members.”

Tighe-Umbers said the MOH could perform spot checks or audits to see if conditions were being met.

“We know of seven airlines that have been audited and their systems at their hotels checked.”

He said people should not be surprised that the MOH requirements and aircrew compliance were working.

“Apart from the mandatory use of masks and gloves and other personal protective equipment and measures, the actual number of Covid-19 cases that have crossed the New Zealand border is very small.”

Of the approximately 25,000 people who had come to New Zealand between 9 April and 3 August, there had been 75 people test positive for the virus, around 0.3% of travellers.

“On top of that, the chances of catching Covid-19 during a flight has been shown internationally to be very slim due to the air conditioning and filtration systems in modern aircraft, combined with hygiene protocols and the use of PPE by aircrew,” Tighe-Umbers said.

Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran yesterday confirmed what safety precautions were in place to prevent staff from contracting Covid-19 following a meeting with health minister Chris Hipkins.

The airline’s current protocols had been established in conjunction with the MOH.

“We know these have been working because since early April, we haven’t had a case of Covid-19 in the airline,” Foran said.

“However, we acknowledge that all systems and processes should be regularly reviewed, and we are committed to working with Government to do even more to protect our staff, customers and New Zealanders from Covid-19.”

In addition to the Government’s requirements, several international destinations required Covid-19 testing of aircrew before departure, on arrival, or both.

Foran said the airline’s pilots and cabin crew had borne the brunt of the impact of Covid-19.

“This has tremendous impact on their everyday life and wellbeing. As does having to self-isolate back at home upon returning from higher-risk destinations. This causes disconnection from family, friends and everyday activities,” Foran said.

“To be clear, most of our international destinations have strict protocols in place to ensure crew are not exposed to Covid-19 during their layover.

“Any crew who are symptomatic, or who have had to break isolation offshore to seek medical attention, for example, must enter quarantine on return to New Zealand.”