National carrier Garuda Indonesia has taken extra steps unseen in other domestic airlines to protect passengers from coronavirus. Garuda strictly follows the health advice to separate passengers by keeping a seat empty between them.

In flights from Jakarta to Bali and Manado, for instance, the airline uses wide body aircraft like Airbus A330 to allow more space while its competitors use single-aisle planes packed with passengers on the same routes.

Garuda said all its aircraft have been equipped with the high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) technology which filters the air and kills 99 percent of airborne bacteria inside the cabin.

The technology is also used widely by pharmacy industry and hospitals to eliminate viruses, airborne fungi and particulate matters such as smoke in the room.

HEPA filters enable faster air circulation inside the cabin as they can change the air in a room at a rate of 15 to 30 times per hour. 

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) states that HEPA filters are effective at capturing more than 99 percent of microbes at the air. 

Garuda still requires passengers to produce Covid-19 free certificates before boarding the plane and obliges them and cabin crew members to wear face masks at any time during the flight.