Safe Travel with Qatar Airways

The 2022 FIFA World Cup draws ever nearer and all around the world, in the time of COVID-19, people are reassessing what it means to travel and attend such mega-events. One of the biggest questions people are now asking is whether or not air travel is safe? And, football fans specifically want to know whether it will be safe to fly to Qatar for the World Cup tournament. Qatar Airways, the nation's state-owned airline, certainly thinks so...

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, Qatar Airways has been unswervingly committed to protecting the health and well-being of its crew and passengers. They immediately implemented strict safety and hygiene measures onboard every flight. Staff are provided with full-body PPE, hand sanitisers are available onboard, as are protective kits containing a face mask, gloves and hand sanitiser gel, and customers are supplied with face shields to wear during their journey. Aircraft are sanitised and disinfected, and onboard all service equipment, headsets, linen and bedding are deep cleaned, after every flight. Throughout the pandemic, the airline has also ensured regular assessments of its procedures in line with the advice and guidance of global and national authorities. As a result, they have maintained the highest levels of safety and continued to operate throughout the crisis.

The airline recently boosted its capacity to deal with potential viruses and bacteria in cabins more effectively and efficiently. They invested in Honeywell Ultraviolet (UV) Cabin System cleaning technology - a portable ultraviolet-c light system capable of reducing certain viruses and bacteria found on surfaces – including SARS CoV and MERS CoV. The system, roughly the size of an aircraft beverage cart, with extendable arms to treat both sides of the cabin at once, can cover a mid-sized craft in just 10 minutes. With six systems in operation currently and more units planned for, the technology will help maintain the health and safety of crew and passengers now and into the future.

In addition to ensuring their craft are as clean and as safe as possible, Qatar Airways are also poised to roll out pre-flight rapid COVID-19 testing for passengers over the next few weeks. Significant advancements in testing should see test kits available which return results in minutes, potentially restoring freedom of mobility in what has been a trying year for travellers. 

Widespread testing for COVID-19 before flights, in conjunction with strict onboard safety and hygiene measures, and the latest technological advancements, should not only assure passengers that they are safe to fly, but also enhance their inflight safety to levels never experienced before.