§ Lord Shore of Stepneyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Which types of passenger aircraft belonging to United Kingdom passenger airlines use 100 per cent fresh air to ventilate their cabins; and which aircraft use a blend of fresh air and used air in which up to 50 per cent of the air so used is recirculated in the cabins. [HL2430]
§ The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty)Aircraft types belonging to UK passenger airlines which use 100 per cent. fresh air to ventilate the cabin are:
- Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) DC10
- Lockheed L1011 Tristar
- Boeing 727 all series
- Boeing 737–100 and -200
- Fokker 27
- BAe 1–11
- BAe ATP
- BAe 748
- Jetstream 31 early series
- Jetstream 41
- BAe/Aerospatiale Concorde
- Canadair RJ
Aircraft types which recirculate air in the cabin ventilation system are:
- Boeing 737–300 and later series
- Boeing 747 all series
- Boeing 757 all series
- Boeing 767 all series
- Boeing 777 all series
- Airbus A319/320/321 all series
- Airbus A300 all series
- Airbus A330/340 all series
- Fokker 50
- Fokker 70/100
- De Haviland Canada Dash 8
- Saab 340
- ATR 42
- ATR 72
- BAe 146
- BAe Jetstream 31 later series
- Embraer 145
- Dornier 328
§ Lord Shore of Stepneyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What medical advice has been offered by the Chief Medical Officer to the department responsible for air traffic on health hazards to passengers flying in aircraft using a mix of fresh and recycled air on long distance flights. [HL2429]
29WA
§ Lord WhittyThe Chief Medical Officer of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has advised that a fit individual would be exposed to no health hazard from the cabin air conditioning system in modern aircraft flying at altitude on a long distance flight.
When several hundred people are mixed together, the spread of disease is facilitated. An individual with a cold, influenza or some other infectious disease is almost certainly going to spread the condition directly to those in close proximity. This has nothing to do with the air conditioning of the aircraft but is a simple matter of personal contact.
The health of those passengers with respiratory or cardiac disease may be compromised by the reduction in pressure that takes place when an aircraft is flying at altitude, but this is also not affected by the air conditioning.