Air Bridges and flying safely

As the Covid-19 Pandemic continues to ravage the globe at an ever-increasing pace, there is at least some good news on the horizon: The rate of infection is under control within much of the EU. The 14-day cumulative number of COVID-19 cases per 100 000 population is 3 in Ireland, and under 20 in 21 of the member states. The outliers are Sweden (113 infections per 100 000),  Luxembourg (83),  Portugal (46),  Bulgaria (30), and Romania (28). (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/cases-2019-ncov-eueea)

This raises the possibility that travel within most of the EU on the proposed "air bridges" could be relatively safe, but there is one fly in the ointment: Social distancing at airports is difficult, and impossible when 200 passengers are packed into a plane with much of the same air being re-circulated within the plane.

For a long time the WHO has discounted the importance of `aerosol' or airborne virus transmission, focusing instead on transmission via respiratory droplets that are caused by people simply breathing or coughing and sneezing, a problem which can be largely curtailed by using facemasks. However, a recent letter by 239 scientists has challenged this belief, citing increasing evidence of airborne transmission over quite long distances.

There is however a technical solution to this problem. An Irish company, Novaerus, supported by Enterprise Ireland, has developed a patented, compact, ultra-low energy plasma technology which kills 99.9% of viruses in the air.

Instead of complaining about restrictions on air travel, would Michael O'Leary not be better employed investigating this technology and installing it on his aircraft? Many of us have experienced catching bugs and sniffles after flying on commercial airliners even in pre-covid times and would greatly appreciate having cleaner, virus free air to breath while travelling.

It might even give Ryanair a competitive advantage on other airlines and promote an image of caring for its customers, or would that be a bridge too far for Mr. O'Leary?