METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DECONTAMINATING AIRCRAFT CABINS AND PROVIDING INDICATIONS FOR SAFE REENTRY

Described herein are methods and systems for decontaminating aircraft cabins and providing an indication to provide confidence that the cabins are safe for reentry post operation. These methods and systems are based on reducing concentrations of infectious agents inside a cabin utilizing outside air and/or filtered air. In some examples, a method is performed after a certain contamination event (e.g., a sick person present on a flight and/or as a part of periodic service (e.g., in between flights. The amount of time the system is run to introduce compounds into the cabin is specifically calculated to lower the fraction of the remaining infectious agents below a certain desired level, thereby reducing the contamination concentration in the cabin from the initial concentration. The decontamination duration depends on the cabin volume and the incoming air flow rates. For example, the fraction of the remaining is brought below 5% after 9 minutes of flowing incoming air at 20 air changes per hour.