Korean Air Provides Protective Suits to Cabin Crew Working on Medium- and Long-Haul Flights

Measures to Protect Crew Members from COVID-19 Transmission

On the 4th, disinfection company staff are disinfecting a Korean Air passenger plane bound for New York at the Korean Air aircraft maintenance hangar at Incheon International Airport. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Je-hoon] Korean Air has started providing protective suits to its flight attendants. This measure is to protect flight attendants from the potential transmission of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

According to the aviation industry on the 17th, Korean Air has been distributing protective suits to flight attendants working on medium- and long-haul routes since the 14th. These protective suits are given one per person only to those working on return flights coming back to Korea.

In addition, Korean Air plans to provide all flight attendants with one pair of protective goggles and one mask band each within this month. This is also a measure to prevent COVID-19 infection through droplets and to alleviate discomfort caused by wearing masks for extended periods.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Korean Air has been supplying flight attendants with basic hygiene items such as masks and gloves, but flight attendants have been anxious about droplet infections that may occur during passenger service. In February, anxiety increased when two flight attendants working on the Incheon-Tel Aviv (Israel) and Incheon-Los Angeles (USA) flights were confirmed positive.

This provision of protective gear is understood to be aimed at preventing possible in-flight infections. Although the daily average of new domestic COVID-19 cases has decreased to around 20 recently, imported cases continue steadily, so the situation cannot be considered safe. Most imported cases enter the country via flights. An industry official said, "Providing protective suits and goggles is the first case among domestic airlines," adding, "It is a welcome measure considering the health of flight attendants."