Research aircraft, airline and airport practices and their impact on public health during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Aviation Public Health Initiative (APHI) was launched by Airlines for America and the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative, a joint program of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

EH&E experts served a key role in the APHI team tasked with researching practices to reduce the public health risks of flying during the pandemic. The research focused on high-risk areas and activities conducive to the spread of SARS-CoV-2 via droplet, airborne, and contact transmission modes at airports and on aircraft. The team also identified mitigation measures and provided guidance to help airports and aircraft operators use these measures to develop targeted strategies to respond to the coronavirus threat.

The team released phase one of their findings, a “gate-to-gate” analysis of the environment onboard aircraft in October 2020 followed by a phase two report in February 2021, which is a “curb-to-curb” analysis of the environment inside the airport. These reports are publicly accessible on the APHI website. EH&E team members participated in press conferences and media interviews to communicate the findings.