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What did the GAO find?
GAO identified research on infectious diseases in air travel in various areas. For example, he studied how air moves inside airplanes and studied the effects of different airline operations, such as back-to-front boarding, on disease risk. However, stakeholders with whom GAO spoke expressed the need for more research related to real-world situations and human behavior. Additional research can inform evidence-based mitigation measures, policies, and regulations to protect public health. Stakeholders raised a number of challenges regarding the lack of federal leadership to conduct research and studies on air transport infectious diseases, especially to facilitate cross-disciplinary research and address gaps. Stakeholders also said that researchers’ lack of access to aircraft, airports or data poses challenges to conducting the necessary research.
Examples of conditions or characteristics that may affect the spread of disease on an aircraft
Several agencies have focused their priorities and missions on the most important areas of research. Such agencies include the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). None of these agencies have made the effort to do the necessary research on infectious diseases in air travel. Officials from each of the agencies said a more coordinated federal approach would help identify and advance valuable research, generate valuable information, and inform policy development and guidance. In addition, bringing the resources of various federal agencies to bear will help connect researchers across disciplines with aviation stakeholders, provide clear access to federal research funding, and identify important research across disciplines.
While the FAA recognizes broad authority to sponsor and conduct research on infectious diseases transmitted by air travel, the agency has historically maintained that this work falls outside its primary responsibility for aviation safety. However, the FAA has experience conducting and supporting such research, as well as strong aviation industry connections that are critical to advancing important research. In particular, the FAA has conducted related studies in the past—typically mandated by law—including the spread of disease in airplane cabins. In addition, leading the integrated strategy will be the FAA’s efforts to develop a national aviation-preparedness plan in collaboration with DHS and HHS, as GAO recommends. Such a strategy would help focus research efforts to better inform policies and requirements to protect the health of passengers and crew.
Why did the GAO do this study?
The Covid-19 pandemic has heightened ongoing concerns about the role of air travel in spreading disease and raised questions about the safety of passengers and crew. Studies that can provide quality data on infectious diseases in air travel help protect public health.
The CARES Act includes a provision for GAO to oversee and report on federal efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The GAO was also asked to review studies on the spread of disease in air travel. This report examines: (1) the current state of research on infectious diseases in air travel, stakeholders’ views on the need for additional research, and (2) the extent to which the FAA and other federal agencies are advancing research.
To do this work, GAO consulted with stakeholders, including federal officials, researchers, representatives of the aviation industry, and labor unions. GAO reviewed academic literature and agency documents, including research plans, as well as key issues for interagency cooperation.
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