

I noticed that too! I went on my first plane journey a few years ago (Airbus A320 neo) and was concerned about the very kerosene-y smell while taxiing, but no one else seemed to be bothered by it.
Turns out the cabin air is just bypassed from the compressor, and when the plane is reversing, the exhaust goes back into the compressor and thus the cabin (my terminology may not be accurate). So it means the airplane manufacturers won’t even bother putting a proper air filter in their planes.










Same! That’s how I learnt about this issue.