German Proposal Calls for Masks on Flights, Distancing in Airports

Frankfurt (dpa) - Passengers should be required to wear face masks once the coronavirus pandemic allows for flights to resume, the German aviation industry has proposed in a paper submitted to the government and seen by dpa.

It suggests that masks be required starting at boarding, throughout the entire flight and until passengers have left the aeroplane.

The industry's 20-point programme also foresees numerous measures at airports to comply with the social distancing rules that have been introduced around the world to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, which can lead to the Covid-19 respiratory disease.

The measures for instance include less crowded queues and waiting areas, the use of more passenger buses and stretched-out processes for boarding and luggage check-in.

The airports of departure could also selectively check passengers for fever - one of the Covid-19 symptoms. In general, passengers would be asked to declare at check-in that they do not have any contagious diseases.

The paper does not include a recent proposal by the chief executive of low-cost airline easyJet, Johan Lundgren, to leave the middle seat in three-seat rows empty, which would reduce the number of available seats in an aeroplane by one third.

The proposal was drawn up by German airlines and airports. They suggest that the new measures be initially applied for six weeks.

Similar deliberations are taking place at the European level, but no concrete proposals have been made yet.

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