Protection against droplet infection: An Italian seat manufacturer wants to shield passengers on airplanes from one another.
Avio Interiors is the largest Italian manufacturer of aircraft seats. Among its customers there are major airlines in the world, such as Cathay Pacific, Etihad, etc. They designed a protection against the coronaviruses which could be helpful to the commercial aviation, but also for the private flights, especially in the event of flight in private jet with people that one does not usually meet
In corona times, plastic discs help people to protect themselves from infection. The transparent protective devices are now installed in many places – at supermarket checkouts, at the bakery or at the snack bar on the corner. Small, thin and flexible, you can also see them in front of the faces of doctors in the hospital or sometimes with flight attendants.
The Italian company Avio Interiors also wants to offer plastic screens for aircraft seats. One of two ideas is called Glassafe. It is a kind of hood that can be retrofitted to seats and separates passengers from their seat neighbors at head height. The seat manufacturer explains that the protective shields could be opaque or transparent in different shades. Glassafe could be an option for airlines if they want to do something to protect their passengers quickly and with little effort. The devices have the advantage that they can be removed quickly and can also be reattached quickly, for example in the event of a renewed wave of illness. However, the protective screens would also entail additional cleaning requirements and represent additional weight.
Center seat aligned to the rear: Janus
Avio Interiors also has a more basic idea. Her name is Janus, named after the double-headed Roman god. It is a row of seats in which the two outer seats are oriented towards the front, but the middle seat towards the rear. With this concept, plastic completely separates the neighbors and not just at head height.
So far, Glassafe and Janus have only been designs that Avio Interiors wants to inspire potential customers. They do not yet appear in the seat manufacturer’s product overview.
Will it really work?
The only question is: will it really work? Will this plexiglass panel suffice to separate the passengers of the planes even at the time of Covid 19? Meanwhile, an Italian company tries: it’s called Avio Interiors and offers a simple solution – for someone too simple – to separate those who sit on the seats of the planes. All this without upsetting the interiors of the fuselages. Almost a boutade, for many. But anyway, the proposal is there. Waiting for customers.
According to the company “it is a kit that can be installed on currently existing seats to make the coexistence between passengers sharing the same travel environment safer.” Glassafe “is made of transparent material to make the entire cabin harmonious and aesthetically light , but perfectly responding to the objective of creating an isolated volume around each passenger in order to minimize contacts or interactions by air between passenger and passenger, so as to reduce the probability of contamination by viruses or other “.