“Thanks to this initiative, the attitude towards passengers will change, and this is a satisfaction. A month ago I myself returned to Moscow on the A321 and during the entire flight, which lasted 3.5 hours, the temperature in the cabin was about 30 degrees. It is clear that it is a pleasure not to have a flight,” shared the director of the Russian aviation portal, Andrei Velichko.
There are brief periods of time when the supply of cold air to the cabin is limited for technological reasons, but when passengers become hostages to circumstances, this is unacceptable, he adds.
The situation with the death of a passenger on an Aeroflot aircraft due to a long stay in a stuffy cabin prompted the solution to the problem of cooling aircraft cabins. “It happens that a person cannot get up from his seat and approach the door if it is still open, because he may be mistaken for a troublemaker. However, that passenger may turn out to be a cardiac or hypertensive patient.” says the aviation expert.
The director of the AviaPort agency, Oleg Panteleev, also agrees, but adds that not all aircraft will be able to technically meet these requirements.
Modern long-haul aircraft are equipped with air conditioning systems capable of maintaining specific parameters at all stages of flight. But there is no air conditioning on An-2 aircraft, nor on Mi-8T helicopters. Ground heaters at airfields in the Arctic territories also do not automatically maintain the set temperature in the aircraft cabin, the expert explains.
“In this regard, it is necessary to make appropriate reservations and exceptions in the rules, or waive any sanctions for non-compliance with requirements due to lack of technical capabilities,” Oleg Panteleev told RG.
Previously, Rostransnadzor reacted to the incident with the death of an Aeroflot passenger and recommended that airlines comply with new health regulations ahead of the summer season. They boil down to the fact that the air temperature on the plane should be in the range of 20-25 degrees, and passengers should not be allowed to board until the established values are reached. If it is impossible to maintain the specified temperature during boarding or preparation for departure, passengers must disembark immediately at the airport terminal.
