Finnair ATR fleet to be fitted with HEPA filters for improved air quality

Finnair is installing High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters on the recirculation system of its entire ATR turboprop fleet as one of the first airlines in the world.

The HEPA air filtration system is the most effective technology for cleansing and purifying aircraft compartments air. The particulate filtration removes dust, allergens, bacteria, viruses and other irritating particles from the cabin air with an efficiency of 99.97%. Finnair’s Airbus and Embraer aircraft are already fitted with HEPA filters, and now HEPA filters are available also for ATR aircraft.

Finnair’s ATR fleet currently consists of twelve aircraft, operated by Finnair’s partner company Norra on short haul routes in domestic and regional traffic. The installations of the HEPA filters in the ATR fleet will begin in June and be completed by early 2022.

“Taking good care of the health and safety of our customers and staff is always our highest priority. By introducing HEPA filters to our ATR fleet, we’ll be further raising the hygiene level in our ATR aircraft from an already high standard,” says Juha Ojala, Vice President, Finnair Technical Operations.

Stéphane Viala, SVP Engineering of ATR, adds: “At ATR, we take the safety of our operators’ crews and passengers very seriously, and the air quality within the cabin has always been a core focus. Our aircraft was already safe to fly, and we are happy that we made it even safer with HEPA filters.”

Effective ventilation reduces the risk of infection

Thanks to efficient air ventilation and filtering, airplanes are an unlikely place to catch viruses. Fresh air is supplied from the overhead stowage compartment level and extracted at floor level, which means that there is no airflow forward or rearward along the cabin. The cabin air changes every three minutes.

The in-flight infection risk can be reduced further with additional safety measures. Finnair requires all passengers older than seven to wear a mask. Finnair has also made several changes to its inflight service, which aim to reduce the contacts between cabin crew and customers, as well as unnecessary movement in the cabin. Moreover, authorities in many countries currently require travellers to have a negative coronavirus test result before travelling.

Further information:
Finnair Media Desk, +358 9 818 4020, comms(a)finnair.com 
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Finnair is a modern premium network airline, specialising in passenger and cargo traffic between Asia and Europe. Helsinki’s geographical location gives Finnair a competitive advantage, since the fastest connections between many European destinations and Asian megacities fly over Finland. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do –  Finnair intends to reduce its net emissions by 50% by the end of 2025 from the 2019 baseline and achieve carbon neutrality latest by the end of 2045. Finnair is a member of the oneworld alliance. Finnair Plc’s shares are quoted on the Nasdaq Helsinki stock exchange.