Britain’s largest airport has scrapped mandatory face masks for passengers.
Heathrow Airport no longer requires people to wear them inside its terminals, train stations or office buildings, but will continue to recommend it.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are the latest airlines to relax their face covering policies.
Passengers must still wear them on board flights if required by the country they are traveling to.
The “Plan B” measures ended at the end of January, which meant that masks were no longer required by law on some public transport and in shops.
However, Heathrow, which handles a large number of international flights, had up until this week retained the rule requiring face coverings to be worn.
Heathrow Chief Operating Officer Emma Gilthorpe said the airport was pleased to move away from mandatory face mask requirements.
She said: “While we still recommend wearing them, we can be confident that the investments we have made in Covid-safe measures – some of which are not always visible – combined with the fantastic protection that the Vaccine offers that will continue to keep people traveling safely.”
Heathrow said that if there was a significant spike in infections or a worrying variant in the future, it would not hesitate to bring back the mandate.
The airport said face coverings would remain available for people who wish to continue wearing them.
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Virgin Atlantic said it would also change its face mask policy starting Wednesday, making it a personal choice for customers and crew to wear them on board.
This only happens on services where international mask-wearing regulations do not apply.
For now, that means flights between Heathrow and Manchester and destinations in the Caribbean such as Barbados, St. Lucia and Antigua.
The airline said customers could be asked to wear a mask when boarding and disembarking planes and at destination airports.
It stressed that masks would still be required on routes to or from the United States until at least April 18.
Virgin Atlantic Chief Customer and Operating Officer Corneel Koster said the policy would be phased in. He encouraged passengers to respect each other’s choices.
From Wednesday, British Airways (BA) customers will only be required to wear a face covering on board flights if the destination they are traveling to requires it.
BA Chief Operating Officer Jason Mahoney said the move was “welcome” and “a positive step forward”.
Earlier this month, airline and tour operator Jet2 relaxed its rules on face coverings for flights to and from England and Northern Ireland. Tui has been doing the same since Friday.
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has said he would like to see mandatory face masks end by April or May. He added that the cabin crew will be consulted.
The airline industry is hoping the easing of travel restrictions after two years of major disruption due to the pandemic will lift the curtain on a busy summer.
From Friday, all travelers will be able to enter the UK without completing a passenger tracing form or taking Covid tests.
Holidaymakers must continue to be aware of and follow the rules wherever they travel.
On Friday, Heathrow Chief Executive John Holland-Kaye said the aviation recovery “remains overshadowed by war and Covid uncertainty”.
The airport’s passenger numbers last month were still nearly 50% below pre-pandemic levels.
However, the airport is hiring 12,000 workers to try to meet demand during the summer peak.
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