Qantas has confirmed they’re ditching masks on some international flights as the travel industry continues to recover from the pandemic.
An internal email sent out to staff revealed that as of 12.01am AEST today, masks would no longer be mandatory on non-stop flights from Queensland, NSW and WA to the USA, UK and Rome.
However, crew and passengers on board international flights out of Melbourne will still need to don a mask until further notice, along with all inbound international flights and domestic flights.
The move comes after mask mandates were lifted from our airport terminals last week following the recommendation from the Australian Health Principal Protection Committee.
“The change to in-flight mask requirements on some international flights is an important step in our transition to living with COVID, and we welcome this change,” Qantas said in the note to staff.
“The removal of mask mandates for airports and some international flights reinforces that the lifting of mask mandates onboard aircraft in all settings is the appropriate next step, with global studies showing the risk of transmission inside the cabin is very low.”
The airline giant said it will continue to offer masks to those who still want to wear one.
“As more destination countries relax onboard mask requirements, we will continue to update the Coronavirus Travel Restrictions and inform you of further changes,” Qantas said.
