Face masks are set to be no longer mandatory in airports and on flights in Europe, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) have said.
The new recommendations will come into effect from 16 May. "From next week, face masks will no longer need to be mandatory in air travel in all cases, broadly aligning with the changing requirements of national authorities across Europe for public transport," EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky said in a statement.
He said passengers should continue to comply with the requirements of their airline and any passengers with cold symptoms, such as coughing or sneezing, should "strongly consider wearing a face mask".
ECDC Director Andrea Ammon said that while risks do remain, vaccines and other measures "have allowed our lives to return to normal".