Reduced air quality in an Icelandair airplane is believed to have led to air attendants heading to the hospital after landing, RÚV reports. The plane arrived from Canada yesterday morning. Jens Þórðarson, Icelandair’s director of airplane operations, says that the plane’s air conditioning system was checked and filters were replaced. The plane took off again yesterday afternoon.
The flight arrived from Edmonton, Canada. All of the flight’s flight attendants headed to the hospital after landing due to unpleasantness, headaches, and signs of fatigue. Jens commented that a further investigation had not taken place yet. “We are still waiting for results from some measurements, but everything points towards a reduced airflow in the plane due to a blockage, or dirty filters, in the air conditioning system. That can cause a less than desired oxygen saturation in certain parts of the plane”, he stated.
There is no evidence of passengers feeling any discomfort. Jens says that events like this are not uncommon onboard airplanes as air quality is worse than down on earth. Icelandair has attempted to reduce the likelihoods of this happening after a similar case happened in the summer of 2016. “We inspect air filters and the air conditioning system more regularly and more thoroughly than both manufacturers and other airplanes do, but air filters can become dirty very rapidly. It can happen if there is dirt in the air conditioning system which is used down on earth”, Jens commented. “The filters were changed and they turned out to be a little dirty. We also went over a couple of parts connected to the air conditioning system, as well as inspect parts which are connected to the plane’s stability.”
Have the crew recovered from the event? “They were tired yesterday but I have not contacted them today, also to let them rest. They asked me to contact if there was anything but we will continue to investigate the event.
