A new study conducted by the U.S. government found that the risk of being exposed to COVID-19 during a flight is “extremely unlikely.”

Using aircraft owned by United Airlines,  the Defense Department conducted hundreds of tests on several Boeing 777 and 767 aircraft.  Tracer aerosols were released into the air, and a mannequin was used to trace the air’s movement throughout the cabin.

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According to the study, travelers on longer flights also face minimal risk of exposure. Only passengers seated next to someone with the virus are at higher risk.

The air filtration systems onboard are one of the main reasons virus transmission is low.  According to the study,  the filtration systems on planes take just six minutes to filter out more than 99% of particles out of the cabin–a higher percentage than in standard hospital rooms.

The other contributing factor is the fact that airlines across the board have mandated masks for passengers.