Elderly people should be split up on flights to speed up emergency evacuations, according to a new study. But modelling shows that even during the fastest simulations, the presence of elderly passengers can have a significant impact on evacuation time. Analysis revealed that the proportion and location of elderly passengers had the largest effect on evacuation time. Meanwhile the slowest option, which involved more elderly passengers who were randomly distributed, resulted in an evacuation time of 218.5 seconds. The researchers hope that incorporating this information into their findings — for example, by offering additional safety briefings to elderly passengers — will help further accelerate the deboarding process.

Source: Daily Mail March 31, 2026 15:13 UTC