EU lifts mask requirement for air travel from next week

A passenger wearing a face mask waits for his flight at the airport in Duesseldorf, Germany (Martin Meissner/AP)

The European Union will no longer require masks to be worn at airports and on planes starting next week amid the easing of coronavirus restrictions across the bloc, authorities said.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said it hoped the joint decision, made with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, would mark “a big step forward in the normalisation of air travel” for passengers and crews.