Airline passengers will be made to wear face coverings for many years with strict regulations in place for some time, it has been claimed.
Travel experts fear it could be a long time before people can travel without having to wear a mask on an aircraft with UK carriers said to be seeking "international consistency" before lifting the rule.
Even as coronavirus travel restrictions are gradually eased, flight operators will still demand masks are worn on board at all times, in accordance with current international guidelines, reports the Mirror.
“A bit like supermarkets, we’ll almost certainly keep the same policy until it is safe to move. For example, the rules in the US are very clear on masks. It would be ridiculous of us to ask passengers to put them on when we enter their airspace,” a source told The Times.
Each airline has its own policy covering the rules for face masks, and every carrier has its own guidelines on any medical exemptions for not wearing a covering on-board.
Ryanair’s chief financial officer Neil Sorahan said masks will remain - just like rules on passengers removing liquids from hand luggage at security.
He added: “Masks will be something that will be with us for a while longer to come. If that is the price we have to pay for the next few months, into summer — it’s a small price to pay.”
Another senior aviation source said: "Until there is a harmonised lifting of mask mandates on flights by governments worldwide it is simpler for airlines to keep the rules in place."
Virgin Atlantic told Sky News in a statement: "We continue to input to the regulators and work together across industry to see when changes can be made.
"However until further notice, we will require all customers and crew to continue to wear face masks for the duration of their flights, as well as at the airports."
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