Plane at CLT disinfected after carrying passenger later diagnosed with COVID-19
An American Airlines plane was disinfected at Charlotte’s airport Friday night, after the airline discovered the plane had carried a passenger who subsequently tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
In an email to the Observer Saturday, American Airlines said that “out of an abundance of caution we followed Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and had the aircraft cleaned while on the ground” at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
The airline’s email said the infected passenger flew on the regional aircraft “several days ago,” but did not make clear whether that passenger came to the Charlotte airport or whether the plane was simply in Charlotte when it learned of the passenger.
The airline also did not indicate where the plane had come from and whether it was still at the Charlotte airport.
American said it was in “close contact with the CDC and public health departments and are coordinating with them on all required health and safety measures.”
The Federal Aviation Authority briefly suspended flights to airports in New York City and Philadelphia Saturday afternoon because of concerns of virus exposures to staff.
An air traffic controller trainee at the the control center in Ronkonkoma, N.Y., tested positive Saturday for COVID-19, the FAA said.
Officials for the Charlotte airport referred questions about the incident to American Airlines and the Mecklenburg County health department.
The incident follows several others at U.S. airports involving passengers who boarded planes despite having been diagnosed with COVID-19 or who were later diagnosed with the disease, according to media reports.
On Feb. 22, a Wake County resident who tested positive for the coronavirus arrived on a flight at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, according to the airport, but was not found to have the virus until 10 days later after becoming ill, The (Raleigh) News & Observer reported.
On March 11, a passenger on a flight from JFK International Airport in New York to Palm Beach, Fla., was awaiting a novel coronavirus test and later tested positive, ABC News reported.
On March 14, a passenger on a Delta Air Lines flight from JFK to Rochester, N.Y., “had coronavirus and was contagious,” CNN reported, citing a Monroe County Health Department tweet.
This story was originally published March 21, 2020 at 4:18 PM.
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