Passengers will no longer be required to wear face masks on Jet2 flights, as the airline becomes the first major carrier to scrap the rule.
In a rule change yesterday the budget airline said on its website that masks will no longer be mandatory on flights from England and Northern Ireland.
The news comes after the Government cancelled all Coronavirus regulations - including the need for masks on public transport.
Jet2 passengers will still have to put on a mask after they land, if required to do so by local laws but when boarding and in-flight they are free to ditch face coverings.
Despite the recent change in UK mask regulations most airlines still insist on customers wearing one as a condition of carriage, and even Jet2 are still advising customers to do so, although they no longer have to.
A Jet2 spokesman said: “It is no longer a legal requirement to wear a face mask in England and Northern Ireland, including at our airports or on board our aircraft.
“However, as per UK Government guidance, we recommend that customers continue to wear a face mask in these spaces, and we remind customers that they will need to wear one when they get to their overseas destination.”
But the rules only apply to England and Northern Ireland, passengers aged six and over will still have to wear masks on flights travelling from Scotland and Wales.
Masks remain mandatory on other airlines such as EasyJet, Ryanair, British Airways (BA), Virgin Atlantic, Loganair and TUI.
Jet2 operates entirely within Europe which means it doesn't have to factor in as many changing local regulations and infection rates as long-haul carriers who fly to destinations all over the globe.
