Covid-19: Boeing wants to eliminate the virus by raising the temperature in the cockpit

The American aircraft manufacturer Boeing has announced that it has identified, together with the University of Arizona, an old technique, thermal disinfection, which can be used against COVID-19 on board airplanes.

The researchers have, in fact, validated that the application of heat, in particular to the surface of equipment located in the cockpit and whose cleaning is complicated, makes it possible to effectively eliminate the SARS-CoV-2 virus, at the origin of Covid-19 disease. According to the American aircraft manufacturer, the results indicate that the virus can be destroyed by more than 99.99% after three hours of exposure to temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius, and that more than 99.9% of the virus will be effectively eliminated by temperatures of 40 degrees.

Boeing conducted these tests as part of the “Travel with Confidence” initiative for the benefit of its customers to improve the level of safety and well-being of passengers and crew in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the group. These tests were performed during the fall in a protected laboratory environment located on the University of Arizona campus using parts of the cockpit infected with samples of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

On board an airplane, the cockpit is one of the most complex parts to disinfect using traditional chemical disinfectants. In this area filled with highly sensitive electronic equipment, the heat allows surface disinfection to be carried out without the negative effects that characterize usual disinfectants, according to the same source.

– .