Aircraft Operational Considerations with the Coronavirus

Posted By: National Business Aviation Association - March 3 2020

With the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) dominating global headlines, the travel risks associated with pandemics are top of mind in the business aviation community. The evolving situation in China and around the globe also highlights the importance of proper guidance and resources to assist in planning domestic and international operations in the months ahead.

Sometimes, emergency departures, diversions and extractions are required to keep passengers, crewmembers and aircraft safe. So what contingency measures should operators have in place in the event volatile conditions dictate a sudden change in plans?

"The U.S. Department of State and U.S. embassies can usually assist in dangerous situations, but it's important to have your own plan for removing your passengers, crew, and aircraft from dangerous locations or unexpected scenarios," said Doug Carr, NBAA's vice president of international and regulator affairs.

Be Prepared

Proper planning begins with conducting a risk profile of your intended destination, including any current issues at the location, such as labor strikes, political unrest, pandemics or extreme weather. If the risk profile indicates that it is safe to travel to the locale but that there is the potential for danger, establish plans for performing an extraction or diversion.

"Use all of the tools available to you, including third-party service providers, NBAA Air Mail groups and onsite handlers to get information," recommends Kellie Rittenhouse, director of aviation at Hangar Management. "Continue to evaluate the conditions before and during the trip."

Also, different scenarios call for different preparations and risk management. An emergency departure due to civil unrest or a political coup will require different plans than an emergency departure from a developing nation due to a medical concern of a crewmember or passenger.

One aspect of a good extraction or diversion plan is defining what works for your particular organization. Don't just look at runway length and fueling capabilities, but consider what the best option is for your passengers and crew. Are medical facilities available and sufficient, if needed? Will passengers need visas and, if so, can they be obtained on site without advance notice?

"Define 'suitable' for your organization and know your passenger mix, as some nationalities might influence your diversion or extraction destination choices, particularly during regional conflicts," said Rittenhouse.

Regardless of what unique requirements your operation may have, experts advise that all travelers should notify the U.S. embassy in the destination country of their travel plans. This includes identifying where you are staying locally and how the embassy can contact you while in state. Using the SmartTraveler Enrollment Program (STEP) program to convey this information enables the local U.S. embassy or consulate to contact registered U.S. citizens and nationals in the event of an emergency and offer assistance in certain circumstances.

In extreme scenarios, consider sending an additional qualified pilot along on a trip. Pilot illness or injury puts all passengers and crewmembers at risk and potentially makes the aircraft a useless asset.

Also, it can be difficult to obtain departure permits in very fluid political situations or scenarios involving civil unrest or labor strikes. In high-risk areas or scenarios, consider getting departure permits for each day you'll be on location to give yourself departure flexibility.

Even if disruptive events or conditions are not anticipated at your destination, they might occur in an area you plan to fly over. Therefore, all international trip planning should consider appropriate diversion points along the way to account for conflicts, severe weather or a medical emergency.

Precautions at the Destination

Once at your destination, experts recommend you take a number of steps to facilitate a potential emergency departure.

First, although the appeal of a cozy hotel bed or nice meal is strong after an international flight, pilots should order and wait to receive fuel upon landing. Make sure you have enough fuel -- Rittenhouse calls it "go somewhere gas" -- to fly away to a safe place. This is a good policy in almost any location -- international or domestic -- as any number of scenarios can hamper or prevent fueling when you need to depart immediately.

In some overseas travel scenarios -- for example, when passengers are nationals of the destination country and want to be dropped off there in spite of conflict, or if passengers are part of an incident or emergency response effort -- it makes sense to relocate the aircraft and crew to a nearby safer location.

Second, during international trips, communication between the flight crew and passengers is key. Experts recommend conducting a briefing upon arrival that involves the flight crew, passengers and security personnel (if on the trip).

Upon leaving the airport, use secure, vetted ground transportation to travel to your hotel or meeting place, especially in the developing world. If there are indications of impending danger, make sure the ground transportation stays nearby so you can evacuate quickly, if needed. If you can't get back to the airport during an urgent situation, the aircraft is of no value.

"The crew is just as important as the passengers," noted Phil LInebaugh, chief operations officer at International Trip Planning Services LLC. "If you use secure transportation for passengers, use it for crewmembers, too."

Hotel Recommendations and Rendezvous Points

It's common for passengers and crew to stay in separate hotels, but in potentially dangerous or volatile situations, it can be beneficial for passengers and crew to stay in the same hotel. In certain scenarios, it might be preferable for the flight crew to stay in the hotel during the entire trip, rather than going out on the town, say some experts. In all situations, the flight crew should establish a rendezvous location with the passengers.

"Don't use a rally point where 1,000 hotel guests are assembling, even for a hotel fire or other evacuation," said Mark MacIntyre, director of flight operations for Mente LLC. "Establish your own location to be sure the crew and passengers are easily accounted for."

McIntrye also recommends establishing during the arrival briefing a code word to indicate that crew or passengers are under duress. Such a word should be one that can be comfortable inserted into conversations between passengers and crewmembers to indicate a problem without being easily detected by nefarious parties.

In cases of civil unrest or other emergencies, it's not uncommon for cell phone and other communication lines to be down, so contingency plans to communicate need to be made.

"If a situation is really volatile, have regular, daily check-in times between crewmembers and passengers," said Linebaugh. "If communications go down and either party misses a check-in, have an established meet-up point, ideally at the aircraft.

Perhaps most important, when making contingency plans for emergency departures or diversions remember to use all the resources available, including third-party flight planning and service providers. Let your service provider know you are diverting or departing under duress and get them involved as soon as possible.

"The earlier you get your service provider involved, the more effective they will be," said Linebaugh.