In light of news reports about Americans' concerns with Ebola, including the disease's impact on aviation, NBAA has added a new education session to the Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA2014) program schedule.
The session, titled "Ebola Risk Management for Business Aviation," will be held at the Innovation Zone (Booth No. 288) on Wednesday, Oct. 22 from 11 a.m. to noon. Presenters are scheduled to include Dr. Paulo M. Alves, vice president of aviation and maritime health for MedAire, and Dr. Quay Snyder, president and CEO of Aviation Medicine Advisory Service.
This session, which will include time for questions and answers, will help address Ebola health concerns for all business aircraft operations personnel and managers involved with company and customer safety. Specific issues to be covered include:
- Current status of the Ebola situation
- Government restrictions and required practices operators should know about
- What passengers should expect from customs authorities when flying internationally
- Considerations for implementing company flight restrictions to the high-risk areas of Africa
- Practices for minimizing exposure risk, dealing with suspected cases inflight and managing the disinfection process
- An overview of Ebola resources for aircraft operators
"Operators that fly internationally must be vigilant about staying informed and coordinating with local authorities, FBOs, flight planning partners and others to protect the health and welfare of their crews and passengers," noted Snyder. "From maintenance technicians to chief pilots and aviation directors, flight departments must stay informed and react appropriately to minimize exposure to any communicable diseases."
Erin Mitchell, MedAire's manager of marketing communications, said that MedAire, which operates a global emergency response center dedicated to providing immediate, real-time medical assistance to passengers and crew in remote locations, has extensive expertise advising clients on communicable diseases.
"Our main goal in this session is to provide information to NBAA attendees on the resources, training and equipment available to educate and aid flight departments, including two online resources that are available free to the public," Mitchell said.
View the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Ebola Guidance for Airlines".
