Universal mask-wearing is abolished at European airports and on flights
Starting May 16, passengers and staff will no longer have to wear masks at EU airports and aboard flights within the EU.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have issued a common set of health security procedures, Airportal reports.
EASA and ECDC point out that, despite this announcement, the specific requirement to wear a mask may differ according to the rules of the countries of departure and destination and the airlines themselves.
The recommendation is to encourage the wearing of masks on flights to a country or region where the wearing of protective equipment is still mandatory for public transport. Several airlines have already followed this practice recently.
Following the EASA recommendation, Ryanair has announced that it will abolish the mask requirement from May 16, except for flights to countries where the wearing of protective equipment is still mandatory for public transport. According to Ryanair, these countries are Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands.
The EU authorities continue to recommend that passengers who are at increased risk of infection or who are coughing or sneezing should continue to wear FFP2 masks throughout their journey.
A court ruling in the U.S. has ended the requirement to wear a mask, although the Centers for Disease Control wanted to extend its ruling on the issue.
