How Is the Air Cleanliness on a Private Jet Versus a Commercial Plane?

The COVID pandemic has wrecked havoc on the commercial airline industry. It has had more of a mixed-to-positive effect on private jet travel industry. In any case, it has certainly made people think more than before about the safety and quality of the air in their immediate personal environment. Upon considering chartering a private jet, the first thing you might wonder these days is “how clean is the air in a plane?” This is even with a service very skilled at airplane detailing.

We can put your mind at rest here as we discuss the quality of air on planes. We hope to have you understand how air cleaning systems and air filters in private jets work, and why you should feel confident about COVID-19 safety protocols flying on a private jet.

The Myth of the Dirty Stale Airplane Cabin?

It is another of those urban myths that the air in a airplane cabin is dirty and stale. Rest assured that this myth cannot be further from the reality of modern jet travel.

Air Quality on Private Versus Commercial Jet Airliners

Modern jet airplanes live most of the time at very high altitudes. At high altitudes, the air is clean, dry and contains low amounts of oxygen. It is also nearly particle-free. So when air is taken in by your aircraft, it is already much cleaner and contaminant-free than air breathed on the ground.

The basics of air quality depends on how cabin air circulates and how often it’s refreshed and cleaned. Filters on the plane removes dirt and microbes (including bacteria and viruses) from the cabin air. The systems on planes do this efficiently, so the air quality in your private jet or commercial airplane is almost certainly cleaner than the air you left at the airport terminal.

There are several different types of air cleaning technologies used today on planes.

100% Fresh Air Systems

These “100% fresh air systems” are used on many private jets. How they work is by constantly bleeding off fresh air flowing through the engines. The compression and heat actually sterilizes it. The system will also then cool the air before delivering it into the cabin. Every 2–3 minutes, the air is removed again. This means that the air is completely replaced in your cabin on the same 2–3 minute schedule. That air replacement rate is around ten times the air replacement rate of most office buildings.

Plasma Ionisation

During the summer of 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gulfstream announced it was developing a plasma ionization system to further disinfect the cabin air on the planes they built. The ionization system can be activated along with the airplane’s environmental control system. It works by emitting positive and negative oxygen ions that kill any harmful pathogens and microbes. The system now comes standard on many Gulfstream models and can even be retrofitted on many existing planes.

Recirculated Air Systems

Air systems that recirculate cabin air are found on many larger private jets. They recirculate the air within the cabin, better controlling humidity and temperature. The cleaned cabin air is mixed with fresh air from outside in a proportion that varies from airplane to airplane. However, both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have standards that require a flow rate of outside fresh air of no less than 0.55 pounds per minute per person on board — including passengers and crew.

HEPA filters

“HEPA” stands for High-Efficiency Particle Assurance) filters are used in a variety of aseptic environments like labs and operating rooms. They’re designed to trap bacteria, viruses and other particulates, and captures at least 99.97% of contaminants measuring 0.3 microns.

HEPA filters usually used in the recirculated air systems which are on most commercial airplanes and the larger business jets. Generally, fresh air is supplied at ceiling level and removed below seat level. This helps prevent air from moving around between passengers.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, both original equipment and after-market HEPA filters are becoming more and more common in private jets.

Are the Air Cleaners in a Private Jet Better Than on a Commercial Plane?

While the air systems themselves don’t differ that much between private jets and commercial airliners, there other elements which make a private jet more COVID-safe.

(1) Fewer and known contacts. On a private jet, you fly with far fewer passengers and a smaller crew than with commercial aircraft. That means a much lower chance of coming into contact with a member fo the public who is COVID-positive. Generally, private jet flyers know most or all the other passengers and are aware of their COVID status.

(2) With private check-in, lounges and transportation arrangements, you are at a lower lever of exposure risk before and after your flight.

(3) More surfaces can be made sanitary. On a private jet, there are fewer people who are making contact with communal touch points. Also, without the high pressure turnaround times of commercial aircraft, there is plenty of time for thorough cleaning and disinfecting.