Seven-day virus killer is cleared for American Air planes

Bloomberg

The Trump administration gave American Airlines Group Inc emergency approval to deploy a new weapon against Covid-19: a surface coating that kills coronaviruses for as many as seven days.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued the emergency declaration for Allied BioScience Inc’s SurfaceWise2 product, allowing it to be used in some American
Airlines planes and airport facilities, as well as two Texas locations of Total Orthopedics Sports & Spine. All three companies are based in Texas, which sought the exemption.
“This is a major, game-changing announcement for our efforts to combat coronavirus and Covid-19,” EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler told reporters on a call. “This is a groundbreaking step that is expected to provide a longer-lasting protection in public spaces, increasing consumer confidence in resuming normal air travel and other activities.”
The move comes as the Trump administration seeks to propel emerging treatments and protections against the coronavirus, and as several companies race to deliver an effective, safe vaccine. President Donald Trump announced the administration was authorising the use of a blood-plasma treatment for Covid-19.
The emergency approval could help restore public confidence in flying amid the coronavirus pandemic. Airlines have used a variety of products and measures to clean aircraft and help convince consumers it’s safe to fly, but the industry is still suffering from the demand collapse that began in April as Covid-19 spread and governments imposed travel restrictions. Air traffic remains less than 30% of where it was a year ago, based on passenger screenings by the Transportation Security Administration at US airports.
Airline shares extended gains after the EPA conference call on the product approval amid a broad rally in travel stocks tied to optimism about possible treatments and vaccines for coronavirus.
American Airlines plans to use the anti-viral spray to supplement its existing regimen — with cleaning and disinfecting coming before the SurfaceWise2 application, COO David Seymour said.