Airline Starts Stepping On Gas, Garuda And Batik Air Promote Clean Air Circulation Due To HEPA

Illustrated. (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - National airlines and stakeholders have begun to increase flight intensity in line with the adaptation phase of new habits in the country. The airlines have made various efforts, one of which is trying to campaign the Safe Travel Campaign, in order to stimulate tourism in Indonesia.

This Safe Travel Campaign runs from 29 July-4 September, and at the same time becomes a declaration for all stakeholders to protect Angkasa Pura II airport in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to rebuild travelers' trust and confidence in traveling by plane.

Garuda Indonesia, for example, they echo about the comfort of being on the plane. President Director of Garuda Indonesia, Irfan Setiautra, said that being in an airplane cabin is much safer than an AC room at home or in an office.

Irfan emphasized that even though passengers are in a closed room, there is a special mechanism to regulate air circulation. In an airplane cabin, air rotation occurs vertically from top to bottom, not random.

Irfan explained, the air that comes down to the bottom is immediately cleaned using a strong particle filter or called High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA). Then the air is heated so that any viruses or bacteria in the air die. Then the air is returned to flow after passing this stage.

According to Irfan, in theory this air filter can clean the air up to 95 percent. Moreover, during this new normality, Garuda launched a 'Flying With Garudan Safe and Comfortable' campaign. So, according to him, cleanliness and safety are a priority.

"Apart from HEPA, I also say that the health protocol on the plane is being guarded by all parties. Be it cabin crew and passengers, we ask to wear masks and clean ourselves at any time," said Irfan some time ago.

Irfan said that his party followed all the directions for the COVID-19 security protocol, one of which was to maintain distance. This is reflected in the empty middle seats for economy class, so only seats near the windows and aisle side of the cabin are used.

Not to be outdone, Batik Air, a member of the Lion Air Group, ensures that the sterilization process and the cleanliness of the aircraft being operated are maintained. This was done by this private airline to reduce the transmission of the COVID-19 virus and maintain the recovery of the aviation industry.

Corporate Communications Strategic of Batik Air Danang M. Prihantoro said the aircraft operated were the Airbus 320-200, Airbus 320-200NEO, Boeing 737-800NG and Boeing 737-900ER. This type of aircraft is included in the modern generation category that has a strong cabin air and particle filtration system, which is equipped with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter.

"We implement the level of aircraft cleanliness through regular aircraft cleaning activities with the Aircraft Exterior and Interior Cleaning (AEIC) method which is carried out at the Batam Aero Technic (BAT) aircraft maintenance center and a number of airports," said Danang in his written statement, Sunday 9. August.

He explained that good air circulation in and out will result in a more efficient distribution of cabin air. HEPA filter is a system that helps maintain the cleanliness of the air in the cabin.

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The device, he continued, is installed and works using a number of filtration methods that filter more than 99.9 percent of different types of particles of various sizes, including viruses, germs and bacteria.

He said that in keeping the air in the cabin clean and fresh, the air is fully renewed every 2-3 minutes. Through the HEPA filter, the flow pattern limits the mixing of air in the cabin, namely the flow of air from top to bottom which can reduce the spread of viruses / bacteria, while air from the toilet and kitchen is directly flowed out of the plane.

"The installed technology and various preventive measures from Batik Air will provide optimism that air travel is slowly starting to return. The hope is that passengers can restart their journey confidently or without hesitation, because there is a coordinated system designed to help keep air circulation safe. during the COVID-19 pandemic alert period, "explained Danang.

Start More Flights

The intensity of scheduled flights from Jakarta to a number of areas has begun to be increased. One of them was done by AirAsia Indonesia, which began adding domestic routes in line with the new habitual adaptation period (AKB).

President Director of AirAsia Indonesia Veranita Yosephine Sinaga said that currently AirAsia has recorded an increase in domestic flight ticket bookings of around 60 percent to 90 percent every week since early July. Even Jakarta-Denpasar is the most favorite route with sales of around 2,400 seats in the last week of July.

"The situation of the increasing trend of interest in travel must be maintained for the benefit of the economy in areas that rely on tourist visits," he said.

In addition, he expanded Bali's connectivity to other cities in the domestic market, starting with Jakarta and Surabaya. These low-cost airlines have added domestic routes connecting the economic centers of Yogyakarta-Medan, Surabaya-Denpasar, and Jakarta-Semarang.

President Director of Angkasa Pura (AP) II Muhammad Awaluddin hopes that the number of aircraft movements at the airport he manages will increase significantly. During 1-6 August 2020, there was a 41 percent growth in aircraft movements at 19 Angkasa Pura II airports.

"Within 6 days, it served 4,500 aircraft traffic carrying around 400,000 passengers," said Awaluddin.

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