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. 2023 Aug 18;20(16):6598.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20166598.

Stability of SARS-CoV-2 on Commercial Aircraft Interior Surfaces with Implications for Effective Control Measures

Kenrie P Y Hui  1   2 , Alex W H Chin  1   2 , John Ehret  3 , Ka-Chun Ng  1 , Malik Peiris  1   2 , Leo L M Poon  1   2 , Karen H M Wong  4 , Michael C W Chan  1   2 , Ian Hosegood  3 , John M Nicholls  5
Affiliations

Stability of SARS-CoV-2 on Commercial Aircraft Interior Surfaces with Implications for Effective Control Measures

Kenrie P Y Hui et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic from 2019 to 2022 devastated many aspects of life and the economy, with the commercial aviation industry being no exception. One of the major concerns during the pandemic was the degree to which the internal aircraft environment contributed to virus transmission between humans and, in particular, the stability of SARS-CoV-2 on contact surfaces in the aircraft cabin interior.

Method: In this study, the stability of various major strains of SARS-CoV-2 on interior aircraft surfaces was evaluated using the TCID50 assessment.

Results: In contrast to terrestrial materials, SARS-CoV-2 was naturally less stable on common contact points in the aircraft interior, and, over a 4 h time period, there was a 90% reduction in culturable virus. Antiviral and surface coatings were extremely effective at mitigating the persistence of the virus on surfaces; however, their benefit was diminished by regular cleaning and were ineffective after 56 days of regular use and cleaning. Finally, successive strains of SARS-CoV-2 have not evolved to be more resilient to survival on aircraft surfaces.

Conclusions: We conclude that the mitigation strategies for SARS-CoV-2 on interior aircraft surfaces are more than sufficient, and epidemiological evidence over the past three years has not found that surface spread is a major route of transmission.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; fomite; transmission.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors John Ehret and Ian Hosegood were employed by the company Qantas Airways Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Viral titers of the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 strain on B737-8 tray tables after treatment with compound CAS #27668-52-6 with and without cleaning by standard disinfectants. The horizontal dotted line denotes the limit of detection in the TCID50 assay. Data are the geometric mean ± s.d. n = 2. Statistical analysis was performed using a two-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s test. *** p < 0.001; **** p < 0.0001.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Wild-type virus stability on different contact surfaces 24 h post-exposure, with and without pre-treatment with compound CAS # 27668-52-6. Tested contact surfaces included (A) in-flight entertainment (IFE) system controller, (B) IFE surround, and (C) IFE screen surface. (D) Pictures of the samples tested. The horizontal dotted line denotes the limit of detection in the TCID50 assay. Data are the geometric mean ±s.d. n = 3. Statistical analysis was performed using a two-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s test. *** p < 0.001.
Figure 3
Figure 3
SARS-CoV-2 Delta strain virus stability on different contact surfaces with and without pre-treatment with compound CAS #27668-52-6 presented as titers in (A) TCID50/mL and (B) percentage change of virus titer. The horizontal dotted line denotes the limit of detection in the TCID50 assay. Data are the mean ± s.d. n = 3. Statistical analysis was performed using a two-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s test. * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001; and **** p < 0.0001.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Delta and Omicron virus stability on tray table (Dash 8), with and without pre-treatment with compound CAS #27668-52-6. (A) Tables were sampled at 0, 28, and 56 days post-application and regular service. Delta and Omicron (BA.2) virus stability was shown using titers at 0 h as reference. (B) Omicron (BA.5) virus stability was assessed on tables in use for 28 days with and without pre-treatment. The percentage change of virus titers was shown using titers at 0 h as reference. Data are the mean ± s.d. n = 3. Statistical analysis was performed using a two-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s test. * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; and *** p < 0.001.
Figure 5
Figure 5
EDS analysis of tray tables that had been electrosprayed with CAS # 27668-52-6. At day 0, the untreated silicon (Si) concentration was 0, after treatment, it was 2.8%. A single cleaning reduced it to 1.7% and after 14 cleaning cycles, the concentration was 0. Data are the mean ± s.d. n = 3. Statistical analysis was performed using a one-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s test. **** p < 0.0001.
Figure 6
Figure 6
EDS analysis highlighting the silicon (Si) concentration on tray tables after regular service. Si is an indicator of the coating with CAS #27668-52-6. After 28 days of regular use, the level was 15% of Day 1, and after 56 days of regular use, the level was 7% of Day 1.
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