Starting this month, All Nippon Airways has begun installing hands-free lavatory doors, which can be opened with an elbow, on its planes. ANA sees this as a way to reduce the possible spread of the coronavirus, since passengers won't need to directly touch door handles.
The hands-free doors were jointly developed by ANA and Jamco Corp., a Tokyo-based maker of plane interiors.
At the position of the door knob, handles in a size that users can move with their elbow are installed. Passengers can open and close the doors using only their elbow.
The size of metal devices to lock the doors have also been changed to that of an adult fist, so that users can lock and unlock the doors by sliding the device with their elbow.
ANA plans to install the new-type doors in a total of 21 planes in stages. The 21 planes are midsize Boeing 787s and larger Boeing 777s, which are used on domestic routes.
ANA officials said that a large number of passengers have expressed their anxiety about touching lavatory door handles with their hands.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
