Coronavirus: Masks should be worn on all future flights, airline trade association says

Officials with a trade organization representing 290 airlines worldwide are recommending that all people wear masks on future flights to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

David Powell, medical advisor to the International Air Transport Association, told reporters Tuesday that the group is recommending masks or face coverings be worn onboard planes, according to Reuters. Officials with IATA said in a statement Tuesday that they are working with governments worldwide to determine when flights can resume.

“Evidence suggests that the risk of transmission on board aircraft is low," said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA director general and CEO. “And we will take measures — such as the wearing of face coverings by passengers and masks by crew — to add extra layers of protection.”

Health officials and agencies, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have recommended people cover their faces in public to protect others against the novel coronavirus. Officials say masks can help prevent asymptomatic people with COVID-19 from inadvertently spreading the virus.

Some medical experts, however, dispute the efficacy of masks and other face coverings. A recent report from the Royal Society’s Data Evaluation and Learning for Viral Epidemics project found face masks effective at slowing the spread of the virus but divided the medical community, according to The Guardian. Doctors told the newspaper Monday that more evidence is still needed to determine whether masks are effective.

Officials with IATA fell short Tuesday of recommending that middle seats be left empty to allow for social distancing on airplanes. The group had previously indicated that would likely be a measure they backed to contain the novel coronavirus.

Brian Pearce, chief economist at IATA, said most airlines would have lost money if they left one-third of their planes’ seats empty, The New York Times reported. Powell told the newspaper the decision not to back such a measure was based on science and not profit.

“Nobody has demonstrated that having the middle seat empty reduces the chance of transmitting COVID-19 from one person to another,” he said, according to the Times.

De Juniac said it’s imperative that passengers feel confident enough to fly under the measures put in place and that the costs of flying remain affordable.

"One without the other will have no lasting benefit,” he said.

Several airlines have already announced they will require passengers to wear face masks on flights to help contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, including Southwest Airlines, Frontier Airlines and JetBlue Airways.