Flying in the COVID-19 Era

The COVID-19 coronavirus has had a devastating impact on the entire world, including business aviation. Overnight, virtually everyone was forced to respond to a new and unexpected set of circumstances – stay-at-home mandates, closed businesses and the need to mitigate risk of exposure to a highly infectious disease.

Now, some companies are beginning to fly regularly again. What operational lessons have been learned from the COVID-19 crisis? How will operational procedures – for passengers, flight crews, maintainers, etc. – change to mitigate the risk of infectious disease? How can operators be better prepared for a future crisis – whether it is a pandemic, natural disaster or another catastrophe?

Assessing Risks, Addressing Concerns

“Business aviation is resilient, and we adapt to new challenges regularly,” said Brad Self, chief pilot at VF Corp. “The scale of this pandemic is global and its effects are far-reaching, so it’s critical we understand how to operate in this new environment.”

Recommendations and best practices for flying since the arrival of COVID-19 are not one size fits all. Each organization needs to assess its own virus-related risks. This assessment should consider aircraft size, mission type and even passenger demographics, answering questions such as:

• Is it a domestic or international trip?
• Are your passengers in a vulnerable demographic?
• Is social distancing aboard an aircraft possible?

Ultimately, an organization’s risk assessment and acceptable level of risk tolerance should guide any changes in policies and procedures.

Of course, risk may vary, depending on the type of trip. For example, if the risk level for a particular mission is high – perhaps the destination is still a COVID-19 hot spot – ask your passengers if the trip is truly necessary. Also, ask crewmembers if they are comfortable conducting the flight, and be sure they have personal protective equipment (PPE) available and the knowledge they need to mitigate any risk.

Safety management system concepts like “just culture” play a role here. Members of NBAA’s Business Aviation Management Committee say a crewmember shouldn’t be forced to take an assignment if they feel it is unsafe. Managers need to be prepared to deal with a range of aviation team member reactions to a proposed trip.

“It’s important to recognize people’s fears and address their concerns, but also to keep the workload equitable for everyone,” said Mark Scheele, CAM, chief pilot of Basin Electric Power Cooperative.

One way to help address concerns is to make sure team members are involved in risk-mitigation measures and understand the steps the organization is taking to ensure their safety.

Consider adding a line to the flight risk assessment tool that addresses “COVID considerations.” This will act as a reminder to pilots to be sure passengers have been screened, PPE kits are available on the aircraft, and other steps have been taken to mitigate the risk of virus exposure.

Also, keep in mind that information about COVID-19’s transmission and prevention – along with individual city, state and national mandates and guidelines – are constantly changing, so plan to reassess your organization’s risk level regularly and conduct a risk assessment for each trip.

Early and Ongoing Adjustments

Because it was deemed essential, Basin Electric Power Cooperative continued to fly during the height of the pandemic to patrol and inspect powerlines and pipelines. Scheele and his team had to move quickly to put new procedures in place to keep pilots and other staff safe and healthy.

Initially, the company quarantined aircraft for three days or more between flights, when possible, to reduce risk of virus exposure. Although the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) now indicates that COVID-19 is not easily spread by contaminated surfaces, the organization focuses on cleaning thoroughly between flights, providing face masks for powerline and pipeline observers, cleaning headsets between flights and changing microphone muffs more often.

“As the COVID-19 situation developed, it was apparent to our company that we’d need a return-to-service plan,” said William Riter, aviation department manager at Rich Products Corp. “Initially, we would be flying for business emergencies only, but we knew well in advance that the executive team was looking to us to serve in a support role, and we had to be ready.

Communication is so important during turbulent times, not only within the aviation team, but we also had to be aligned with the executive team,” Riter added.

VF Corp. made changes to the work hours of some aviation team members. “We have a small maintenance team and adjusted their work schedules to Monday through Thursday,” said Self. “They wear masks in the hangar and while performing maintenance duties, which is not easy, and practice social distancing.”

The Rich Products flight department is using the same COVID-19 protocols at its aviation facilities as at its main office, including temperature checks and health screening questions. While the CDC’s recommended upper temperature limit is 100.4 F, Rich Products set its limit lower – an example of adjusting best practices to meet the organization’s acceptable level of risk.

A Plan for Return to Service

Any changes to aviation policies and procedures should be codified in the operations manual or return-to-service plan, both which should incorporate a number of best practices:

• Educate pilots and other aviation team members about the importance of monitoring their health. Require any employee with a fever or other COVID-19 symptoms to stay home.
• Conduct screenings of pilots and passengers using no-touch thermometers or simply by asking whether a person has been around someone who is sick or is experiencing virus symptoms.
• Encourage social distancing by reorganizing workspaces in offices and hangars.
• Consider staggering office hours and maintenance shifts, keeping in mind best practices to avoid technicians working alone on high-risk tasks.
• Use assigned pilot pairs. This can help prevent the spread of COVID-19 from an asymptomatic aviator to the entire pilot pool.
• To allow for better onboard spacing of passengers, consider reducing passenger loads. Be sure to explain new safety measures, including screening and social distancing or seating policies, to passengers before each flight.
• Be prepared to conduct contact tracing in the event a passenger or crewmember gets sick. Keep detailed records of everyone who boards the aircraft, even on the ground. If possible, limit aircraft access to passengers, crewmembers and only necessary and trained maintenance and cleaning personnel.
• Ramp up sanitization efforts in workspaces, lounges and aircraft. Consider applying a disinfecting anti-microbial solution such as Microshield 360 to the aircraft interior, or using ozone generators, which intentionally produce a toxic gas to deodorize, disinfect, kill or remove dangerous or irritating airborne particles in indoor environments. Be sure to check with the aircraft manufacturer for recommended cleaning and sanitization products.
• To determine the efficacy and appropriateness of new policies and procedures, conduct a debrief after every trip. Do this with both the aviation team and passengers, if possible, to identify areas for improvement.
• Review overall policies and procedures regularly, as conditions and best medical practices change.

Applying Lessons Learned

“The lessons we’re learning from the COVID-19 pandemic are adaptable,” said Jo Damato, CAM, NBAA’s vice president of educational strategy and workforce development and liaison to NBAA’s Business Aviation Management Committee. “What can your organization take from this experience and apply to future crises, whether natural disasters, political unrest or some other unexpected health crisis?”

Here are some recommendations:

• Be flexible – One characteristic of crises of all types is rapidly changing situations and emerging information. Stay informed and be prepared to alter your policies and procedures to adapt. “Be ready to shift gears,” said Scheele.
• Make good use of downtime – For example, evaluate upcoming maintenance needs and perform work while the aircraft is parked.
• Help manage aviation staff member mental health and well-being during a crisis – Check in with team members regularly and ask how they’re doing. If your organization doesn’t have a formal employee-assistance plan, consider providing one, or have other mental health resources readily available.
• Develop or improve emergency response plans – How to deal with pandemics isn’t always included in emergency response plans.
• Partner with other stakeholders to determine the best crisis response – Your principals, passengers and clients might have some good ideas. More heads are better than one.
• Collaborate with business aviation colleagues – Aircraft operators should share lessons they have learned during the pandemic.

“Continued collaboration is important for leaders, as best practices will change. What makes sense today may not be relevant tomorrow,” suggested Jeff Poeppelman, chief pilot of operations for an insurance and financial services company.

“Life will return to a new normal in waves. Expect your plan to change with each wave,” added Poeppelman. “Continue to learn as you go. Organizations that are agile and responsive will be successful.”

Review NBAA’s COVID-19 resources at nbaa.org/coronavirus.