UK’s Heathrow Airport Scraps COVID-19 Mask Mandate

Passengers arrive back in the UK at Heathrow Terminal 2, during England's third national lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, on Jan. 29, 2021. Yui Mok/PA

Heathrow, the UK’s largest airport, has dropped the requirement for passengers to wear masks.

From March 16, passengers are no longer required to wear face coverings inside the airport.

It follows the UK government’s announcement that all CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus travel restrictions, including passenger locator forms, will end on March 18.

Arriving passengers queue at UK Border Control at the Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport in London on June 29, 2021. Hannah Mckay/Reuters

Heathrow’s Chief Operating Officer Emma Gilthorpe said she was “pleased” to see the end of all remaining COVID-19 travel curbs.

“We have worked hard to keep our passengers and colleagues safe during the pandemic,” she said.

“We acted quickly to institute face coverings as one of our first lines of defence and we’re pleased that we’re now able to move away from a mandatory requirement as society learns to live with COVID longer term.

“While we still recommend wearing them, we can be confident the investments we’ve made in COVID-secure measures—some of which aren’t always visible—combined with the fantastic protection provided by the vaccine will continue to keep people safe while travelling.”

Virgin Atlantic and British Airways also announced they are ditching mask requirements on some routes.

Virgin Atlantic said it would be “gradually” removing compulsory mask mandates, starting with Caribbean flights from London and Manchester.

Corneel Koster, the airline’s chief customer and operating officer, said, “As we learn to live with COVID and with the legal requirement to wear a face mask now removed in England, we believe our customers should have the personal choice whether to wear a mask on board on routes where international regulations around mask-wearing do not apply.”

He added masks will be still required on most services, including those to or from the United States until April 18 “at the earliest.”

From March 16, British Airways customers only need to wear face coverings onboard flights if their destination requires it.

Jason Mahoney, British Airways’ chief operating officer, said: “As an international airline, we fly to a large number of countries around the world, all of which have their own local restrictions and legal requirements.

“For destinations where the wearing of a face covering is not mandated, our customers are able to make a personal choice, and we kindly request everyone respects each other’s preferences.”

Airlines Jet2.com and Tui Airways recently announced they were also easing their rules on masks.

PA Media contributed to this report.