A COACH operator has installed an air filtration system into its fleet to tackle airborne viruses.

Alpine Travel, based in Llandudno, has fitted the ActivFilter system to its tour coaches to include an anti-viral layer which are said to be more than 99 per cent effective against eliminating airborne viruses.

The volume of fresh air being drawn in from outside each coach will also be increased by three per cent, meaning the air inside the vehicle is now completely changed every two minutes.

The installation has been carried out to ensure the welfare of passengers as it embarks on the industry’s recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused widespread cancellations of chartered coach travel and coach tour holidays last March.

Chris Owens, managing director at Alpine Travel, said: "We have been working to ensure that, as we move forward out of this pandemic, our vehicles provide a safe and welcoming environment for our passengers as they rediscover the delights of travelling by coach once again. Installing this filtration system in our vehicles will ensure that we are able to alleviate any anxiety that our passengers might have about travelling on our coaches.

"It’s a great step forward, after all we believe it’s our responsibility to our passengers and customers to give the best travel experience possible and the investment we are making now, will benefit all our passengers for years to come."

The ActivFilter system was developed before Covid-19 and has been on the market for more than a decade, but it has since been tested on Coronavirus in Spain and the results showed 99.7 per cent effectiveness against the disease.