YOUR WELLBEING MATTERS TO US
A DEEP DIVE ON THE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS BEING TAKEN AGAINST COVID-19
FROM HOW THE CABINS
are cleaned to how food is packaged and served, we speak to our team throughout the Cathay Pacific Group to find out what measures are in place to ensure the health and wellbeing of our passengers.
CABIN CLEANING
The cleanliness of the cabin environment is an area Cathay Pacific takes extremely seriously at all times. Since the outbreak of SARS was first reported in 2003, we have implemented day-to-day cleaning measures that exceed the industry standard, and we are in constant contact with the Hong Kong Port Health Authority to ensure we are up to date with the latest advice.
Cabins are cleaned daily – and between each flight – with products recommended by industry body IATA and the WHO. ‘This includes Ardrox 1820, a powerful disinfectant containing surfactants, ethanol and quaternary ammonium compounds, which are all proven to kill mould, bacteria and viruses – including coronavirus,’ says Senior Engineer Stanley Chiu, who looks after cabin maintenance and standards.
A team of specially trained cleaning staff, wearing protective gloves and masks, tackle each plane. They make sure they get every surface – from overhead cabins to the nooks and crannies between seats and personal devices.
This means that when passengers board, they can be sure they’re entering a clean, sterile cabin.
DISINFECTANT
In cases of a suspected case of COVID-19 onboard, additional deep cleaning and disinfectant procedures are automatically instigated out of an overabundance of caution. This includes the use of the chemical Netbiokem DSAM – one of the world’s most powerful hospital-grade disinfectants.
‘The Netbiokem disrupts and destroys the membrane that protects the virus, which kills the virus: it can no longer be infectious as a result of this action,’ explains Dr Paul Wynn-Hatton, Group Technical Director at Callington, which manufactures the chemical.
‘Netbiokem has been specially formulated to
be safe for use on surfaces, and safe for both users and the general public. There are no negative health effects when Netbiokem is used as directed,’ Dr Wynn-Hatton confirms.
The cabin is systematically cleaned to ensure the disinfectant is applied to every surface in both individual seating areas and communal spaces. This includes everything from the armrests, tray tables and personal TV monitors, to things like the ventilation grills, overhead lights, air controls and carpets.
Cleaning staff wear special personal protection equipment to carry out the disinfecting procedures, for which they have received additional training.
The disinfectant is applied using preimpregnated wipes to ensure the chemicals are as localised as possible and then left to air-dry for 30 minutes before being wiped down once more.
In addition to these measures, if there is a confirmed case of COVID-19, the cleaning procedure is further extended. This includes even more intensive measures, such as the aircraft water system being completely drained and treated with a bactericide. Toilets are dismantled and cleaned, and the disinfectant is left in the toilet system for two hours before draining.
CABIN AIR QUALITY
A common misconception about cabin air is that the same air is circulating around passengers for the entire flight. However, the reality is that cabin air is likely cleaner and more sterile than your own home.
About 60 per cent of the cabin air is fresh air from outside, which comes from either the engine’s compressor stage (known as engine ‘bleed air’) or the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). The remaining 40 per cent of air is recirculated, but only after going through an intensive filtration process.
‘Our aircraft are equipped with HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Arresters) filtration systems that are capable of filtering 99.999 per cent of odour-generating particles, dust particles and airborne contaminates such as viruses and bacteria, ensuring the highest possible air quality – in fact, HEPA filters offer a similar level of performance to those used to keep the air clean in hospital operating rooms and industrial clean rooms,’ explains Thomas Lau, Technical Services Engineer.
These filters are produced by Pall Corporation – the global leader in aircraft filters, which pioneered the use of aviation HEPA filters.
‘There are recirculation fans installed on aircrafts to force the cabin air to go through the recirculation filters, except air in the galley and lavatory which will be extracted directly off board,’ explains Lau.
FOOD HYGIENE
When it comes to preparing and delivering food: essentially nothing has changed, says Janet Kwan, Head of Services and Marketing at Cathay Pacific Catering Services. ‘There’s very few changes, because we’ve always followed the most stringent measures both when it comes to procedures of food preparation and delivery – for example, we have guidelines like the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), which govern aspects like personal hygiene, facility and equipment sanitation, food temperature control, First-In-First-Out principles to safeguard shelf life, and more – which we have always followed, and our food handlers always wear protective gear: masks, gloves, a hair cap, no matter what.’
Nevertheless, we have conducted a close scrutiny of each stage of the food production cycle to see if improvements could be made and implemented a few additional measures. For example, normally food production staff wear two-ply masks – effective for sanitary and hygienic purposes. This has now been upgraded to threeply masks, which are designed with additional filters to protect from viruses, bacteria and water droplets. Another change has been to strengthen the cleaning of delivery chill trucks to ensure total sanitation. When you’re served your food onboard, you can be assured it’s safe.
THEY GET EVERY SURFACE – FROM THE OVERHEAD CABINS TO THE NOOKS AND CRANNIES