Finnair to Install HEPA Filters on ATR Fleet

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

The HEPA air filtration system is the most effective technology for cleansing and purifying the air in aircraft cabins. 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 72-500 aircraft, operated by Finnair’s partner company Norra on short haul domestic and regional routes. Each aircraft seats between 68 and 70 passengers.

The installation of the HEPA filters in Finnair's ATR fleet will begin in June and should 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,” said Juha Ojala, Vice President, Finnair Technical Operations.

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 also changes every three minutes.

Stéphane Viala, SVP Engineering of ATR, said, “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.”

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.

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