• Ryanair Boeing 737
    Ryanair
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    FR/RYR
    Airline Type:
    Low-Cost Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Dublin Airport, London Stansted Airport, Milan Bergamo Airport
    Year Founded:
    1985
    Airline Group:
    Ryanair Group
    CEO:
    Eddie Wilson
    Country:
    Ireland

Ryanair will remove its face mask requirement on select European flights following Wednesday's updated EASA/ECDC travel guidance. However, there are still 15 European countries that require masks on public transportation, including France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Portugal.

Ryanair drops mask requirement

From May 16th, Ryanair passengers will no longer need to wear a face mask on EU flights or in EU airports in line with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) update.

A joint statement from the EASA and ECDC clarified, "from next week, face masks will no longer need to be mandatory in air travel in all cases, broadly aligning with the changing requirements of national authorities across Europe for public transport."

Ryanair Boeing 737 Getty
Photo: Getty Images
Passengers must check if their destination has a face mask requirement. Photo: Getty Images

However, 15 European countries still maintain a mandatory mask requirement on public transportation, meaning passengers will need to don a mask during flights to these countries.

These 15 countries are:

  • Austria
  • Latvia
  • Cyprus
  • Lithuania
  • Czech Republic
  • Luxemburg
  • Estonia
  • Malta
  • France
  • Netherlands
  • Germany
  • Portugal
  • Greece
  • Spain
  • Italy

Ryanair CEO, Eddie Wilson, said,

"We welcome this rule relaxation from EASA and the ECDC effective from Monday, 16th May next. From that date, face masks will be optional on all Ryanair flights except those flights to/from the 15 EU States where masks remain mandatory on public transport."

Ryanair's Michael O'Leary had previously promised passengers that the airline would drop its face mask requirement by spring.

Changes expected in the next few days

Ryanair's CEO believes that many, if not all, European countries with face mask requirements will update their policies in the coming days.

While the EASA and ECDC have updated their recommendation, it is ultimately up to individual governments and airlines to change their mask requirements.

Wilson said,

"We expect these States to relax their face mask rules over the coming days in line with these new health guidelines from EASA and the ECDC. Intending passengers can check the latest EU face mask regulations on the Re-Open EU website."

The EASA/ECDC update on Wednesday also recommends "a relaxation of the more stringent measures on air operations, which will help relieve the burden on the industry." However, the statement still advises essential measures, including physical distancing and good hand hygiene.

What have other European airlines done?

Several European airlines dropped their mask requirements long before the revised recommendations this week. Finnair scrapped face masks where not required by other countries in April, while KLM and Transavia decided not to enforce mask requirements on flights from late March.

Ryanair getty
Ryanair denies that its employees took part in the walkout on Wednesday. Photo: Getty Images

In the UK, Jet2 was the first airline to drop its mask requirement in early March, followed by TUI and British Airways. Other European airlines which don't require masks on all flights include Norwegian and Icelandair.

Mask requirements onboard US flights finally came to an end last month after a US judge overturned the mask mandate, which had been in place since January 2021.

What are your thoughts on Ryanair's decision to drop its mask requirements? Do you see European countries with mask requirements changing their rules in the coming days? Let us know in the comments.