Coronavirus: Aeroplane seats could be fitted with glass hoods to separate passengers

If you’re a regular traveller, it’s likely you’ll have experienced a cramped flight in which you’re squeezed in next to several other passengers.


But the days of getting up close and personal with your fellow passengers could be a thing of the past in the post-coronavirus age.

Italian design firm Avio Interiors has revealed its vision for aeroplane seats post-coronavirus - and they look very different to most current seats.

Avio Interiors has created concepts for two aeroplane seats, dubbed Glassafe and Janus.

Both solutions created a physical divide between passengers, reducing the risk of any germs being shared.

The first concept, Glassafe, features transparent dividers between the passengers’ seats.

Avio Interiors explained: “‘Glassafe’ is made of transparent material to make the entire cabin harmonious and aesthetically light, but perfectly fulfilling the objective of creating an isolated volume around the passenger in order to avoid or minimise contacts and interactions via air between passenger and passenger, so as to reduce the probability of contamination by viruses or other."

Meanwhile, the Janus concept features seats that alternate facing forwards and backwards, and are fitted with protective shields.

Avio Interiors said: “‘Janus’ is a two-faced seat, in fact this arrangement allows all three passengers to be separated with a shield made of transparent material that isolates them from each other, creating a protective barrier for everyone.

"Each passenger has its own space isolated from others, even from people who walk through the aisle.

“Each place of the ‘Janus’ seat is surrounded on three sides by a high shield that prevents the breath propagation to occupants of adjacent seats.”

While the designs are still concepts, they provide an interesting insight into what travel could look like post-coronavirus.

Avio Interiors has not revealed how much the designs would cost, or if it plans to work with any airlines to introduce them.