PHOENIX – JetBlue will become the first airline to implement a cutting-edge UV light technology that will significantly reduce certain viruses and bacteria inside planes.
In a press release, the airline has deployed a portable UV Cabin System, developed by Honeywell, to help reduce viruses such as COVID-19, which is roughly the size of a beverage cart. The devices have robotic arms on both sides which extends to each side over the top of seats.
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“With the safety of our crewmembers and customers our first priority, JetBlue’s Safety from the Ground Up initiative is maintaining a layered approach to safety by ensuring healthy crewmembers, providing flexibility, adding space, reducing touchpoints, and keeping surfaces clean and sanitized,” said Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue’s president and chief operating officer.
The device, according to Honeywell, can cover the entire aircraft in about 10 minutes. The company has delivered eight devices to JetBlue and kicked off a 90-day campaign called “Safety from the Ground Up” at both JFK Airport in New York and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport in Florida.
Studies from Boston University and a consortium of Italian medical and academic professionals reported that UV-C light can inactivate the virus at prescribed dosages, although additional studies are underway for other environments, according to Honeywell.