EU air safety head says in-flight COVID infection risks marginal

The risks of air travellers catching COVID-19 on a passenger aircraft are “very marginal” provided health measures are applied, Europe’s top aviation safety regulator said on Friday.

Only seven out of three million passengers on flights in recent weeks showed symptoms of the virus while on board, according to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said.

The risks are “highly controlled” by airline and airports, Executive Director Patrick Ky told French aerospace journalists in an online briefing.