The Findings of a Scientific Review into the risks of flying for people with food allergies

Today, the Archives of Disease in Childhood has released the findings of their review into the risks of flying for people with food allergies. Their review concludes that there is no evidence that nut allergens can spread through aircraft ventilation systems and that asking passengers not to eat nuts during flight is unlikely to prevent an allergic reaction mid-flight, but cleaning their seat with a wet wipe could. 

The UK Civil Aviation Authority asked the Archives of Disease in Childhood to review the risks of flying for those with a nut allergy, a topic which was discussed at length and detail during a 2019 roundtable meeting organised by then Aviation Minister Liz Sugg and chaired by Airlines UK CEO, attended by Julie and Tom Martin on behalf of They Amy May Trust, alongside highly respected allergy charities, representatives and airline bodies. This meeting followed the Trust's petition to make air travel safer for nut allergy sufferers, which gained 100,000 signatures in just over 24 hours.

The Amy May Trust would like to take this opportunity to offer our comment on the review. This is an encouraging, scientific step in reassuring those with nut allergies while also highlighting the suggested importance of airlines adopting a ‘board first’ approach to allow those with a food-allergy to have the ability to wipe their seat. We, of course, understand the time constraints of this but would invite airlines to explore ways in which this could be achieved. Residue of contaminants which easily can be spread on surfaces has always been a concern, and an individual living with an allergy will continually need to be mindful of. 

Review author Prof Paul Turner, clinical professor in anaphylaxis and paediatric allergy at Imperial College London said "If food-allergic people can board first, and have time to clean their seat area with something like a baby wipe or antibacterial wipe, they are much less likely to have accidental reactions,”

At The Amy May Trust, we understand this review could cause frustration or concern among those with food allergies who are anxious about flying. We share the report’s scientific-based findings to those passengers:

'Air is completely exchanged every three to four minutes during a flight. Compared to hospitals where this happens every 10 minutes.'

'Allergic reactions to foods are in fact 10 to 100 times less common during flights than they are ‘on the ground,’. The review does suggest this could be due to passengers with food allergies taking more precautions when flying.'

As our petition to make flying with a nut allergy draws to a close, we would like to thank the 378,402 people who have signed our petition and have encouraged this review to take place, and to thank those who have played integral parts in its findings, including The UK Medical Research Council and UK Civil Aviation Authority for funding the review. As The Amy May Trust continues to educate on the seriousness of allergies, with a focus on nut allergies, we would like to leave one lasting invitation to airlines and passengers: food allergies are serious, and it should be our human supportiveness in a society free of prejudice, to want to help those living with all allergies, particularly a nut allergy in this instance, feel safe. 

Julie and Tom Martin
The Amy May Trust

The Statement from Imperial College London can be read here: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/257074/no-evidence-that-allergens-transmitted-aircraft/

The Review can be seen here: https://adc.bmj.com/content/early/2024/09/27/archdischild-2024-327848