TeamNL and KLM do not investigate ‘contamination flight’ | Financial

Hendriks said in a press conference that TeamNL has ‘other priorities’ than an investigation into the origin of the infections. “The focus is on performance.”

According to the technical director, it is difficult to determine where these could have arisen. “First of all, the number of infections increased in the Netherlands as a result of the relaxation, which we are all familiar with. Infections can also arise at Schiphol, upon arrival at the full Narita airport, in transport to Tokyo and then in the Olympic village itself. I think it’s very risky to conclude that it happened on the plane.”

Crew not tested

The KLM staff on the flight had not been tested, because Japan does not make it mandatory and it is on the list of ‘safe’ countries. There is a lot of misunderstanding and indignation about this on social media. There is a mandatory temperature check for KLM staff on departure at Schiphol and arrival in Tokyo.

“The number of crew infections is very low, according to our experience in the past year. In the event of symptoms or complaints, the crew must take a corona test at the GGD, and the results are shared with KLM Healthservices. The crew on the relevant flight has not been infected,” said a KLM spokesperson on Tuesday morning. Following TeamNL, the airline states that there have been several moments when the infections could have taken place. It is still too early to ‘reconsider’ the testing policy, the spokesman said.

‘Best option’

RIVM reported on Monday to De Telegraaf that the delta variant that is now circulating makes the risk of contamination in the aircraft greater than previous variants of the virus. There was also a long flight, which increases the risk of infection even more. In addition, the virus can be passed on unnoticed. KLM previously indicated that the crew did not become ill.

Hendriks indicated that consultations were held in advance with RIVM, virologists and KLM about the risk of contamination, because ‘normal’ passengers were also traveling on the flight. “Within the possibilities that were available, this was the best option,” said Hendriks. The participants came to Tokyo on 17 different flights. Due to the different dates of arrival, it has not been decided to charter an aircraft, according to TeamNL.

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