Airbus has invented a quarantine tent for in-flight COVID emergencies

Jun 22, 2021

This is one bubble you definitely don't want to burst.

No matter how effective the combination of hand sanitiser, face masks, temperature checks and pre-travel COVID tests may be, there’s the ever-present possibility that a passenger who tested negative before travelling could develop coronavirus symptoms mid-flight.

Effectively isolating said passenger on a packed plane would be incredibly difficult, if not impossible.

Now, Airbus has invented an in-flight quarantine tent to deal with just such an emergency.

The Passenger Containment Area for Symptomatic Events — or “PaxCASE” — is a semi-transparent plastic isolation bubble, which can be used mid-flight to isolate a potentially infectious passenger.

The quarantine tent forms a barrier, which encircles one full seat row, effectively cutting off three seats, including the one occupied by the symptomatic passenger.

PaxCASE works in one of two ways, either fixed into place on the cabin ceiling with strong tape or attached to a rail.

The Airbus team conceived the popup quarantine tent during the global travel shutdown brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was one of some 2,000 ideas, most of which never (excuse the pun) got off the ground.

The PaxCASE concept has been nominated in the 2021 Crystal Cabin Awards’ Clean and Safe Air Travel category, which highlights the latest innovations in airplane interiors. It’s anticipated that the award winners will be announced in September at the virtual Aircraft Interiors Expo.