Two years later, Europe is slowly preparing for the post-Covid-19 era. Many countries on the continent are abolishing the requirement to wear masks on their territory, but in the context of international air travel, things are more complicated.
Most European airlines still have a strict policy on wearing masks on board their aircraft, but this is slowly changing and several companies, especially the UK, are easing the requirements.
British airlines ahead
In early March, Jet2 became the first major airline to remove mandatory masks. TUI Airways followed suit on March 11th. At the same time, London Heathrow Airport also announced that it was waiving the requirement for mandatory masks to be worn inside the airport.
And the most recent airline to introduce a similar policy change is British Airways, which has announced that the mask requirement on board has been partially lifted.
“Where we are confident that the destination you are going to does not require wearing a face mask on board, it will become optional,” the company said in a tweet. Therefore, depending on the rules of the destination country, it depends on whether masks will still be mandatory.
Virgin Atlantic has taken a similar step. “We are learning to live with Covid and now that the legal requirement to wear a face mask has been lifted in England, we believe that our customers should have a personal choice as to whether they want to wear a mask on board,” the chief said. operating director of the company Kornil Coster.
From the Netherlands to France
However, the aforementioned airlines are not the only European airlines to have made changes to the rules regarding mask requirements.
Dutch airline KLM and its subsidiary Transavia have decided not to require passengers to wear face masks on board their aircraft from March 23 to protest recent moves by the Dutch government.
Airlines have said they are disappointed with the fact that masks remain mandatory at airports and on board aircraft despite the relaxation of wearing regulations across the country, including on public transport.
At the same time, the company says that this increases the aggression and dissatisfaction of passengers and thereby jeopardizes safety on board the aircraft.
Finally, in addition to Heathrow, two other major airports in France have decided to remove mask requirements. These are Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, the second largest airport on the continent, and Orly Airport, also located in the French capital.