AFAC Removes In-flight Mask Requirements

The Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) introduced new safety measures for passengers, making the use of face masks during flights and in waiting areas optional. 

“The measure applies to those who use airport facilities, as well as in aircraft cabins. Ambulatory rooms and last waiting rooms in airport facilities are large and sufficiently ventilated spaces. Aircraft use a high-efficiency filtration system (HEPA) that eliminates 99.9 percent of particulates, bacteria and viruses,” reads a press release by Mexico’s Ministry of Infrastructure Communications and Transport (SICT) via AFAC. 

AFAC explained that the HEPA system has proven highly effective in reducing the spread of the virus in-flight. The use of face masks is now recommended for passengers that have been diagnosed with COVID-19. It is also an obligation for airlines to have enough face masks in storage to attend to those cases. 

The instructions were given to AFAC Airport Commanders, which will work with the Local Airport Security Committees, Local Operation and Schedule Committees and the Coordinating Commission of Authorities to properly implement the new measures. AFAC works in accordance with the New Normality Committee, made up of the Ministries of Health, Economy, Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) and the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS).

AFAC’s document establishes the guidelines for the use of face masks in open and closed spaces. The document also calls for the search of new habits to reduce the risks of contagion among the population. SICT also calls for “preserving the use of face masks in closed spaces that are not ventilated or have little ventilation. Today the use of face masks will not be mandatory for airport facilities and in aircraft passenger cabins.”