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Airlines in Europe prepare for bird flu
European airlines have contigency plans drawn up to ground aircraft and install disease protection supplies.
Airlines are leaving nothing to chance and have adopted lessons learnt from the SARS epidemic in Asia two years ago, including training staff on how to respond, the Reuters news agency reported.
A British Airways spokesman was quoted as saying: “Contigency planning was instigated nearly a year ago to look at our operational a commercial response should avian flu result in a human flu pandemic.
“We are liaising closely with both governmental and health organisations.”
Air France, Lufthansa and Iberia are also working with governments on contigency plans.
Professor Uwe Stueben, head of Lufthansa’s medical service, reportedly said the risk of encountering someone on board an aircraft with bird flu was alsmost non-existent, adding that special air filters removed bacteria and viruses from the cabin.
An IATA spokesman told Reuters: “It may never evolve into a public health issue but regardless of that we are miles ahead in the planning than we were with SARS.”
Carriers stressed that the measures were precautionary and the risk of bird flu to humans in Europe was low.
Report by Phil Davies
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