The Australian government has today lifted the requirement to wear face masks on domestic flights, as well as on international flights bound for Australia. It ends the mask mandate for air passengers that was first introduced by the Australian government in January 2021.

Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Rex have all removed their requirement to wear a mask on their domestic flights.

“[The requirement to wear a mask on flights] has been removed on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer that it is no longer proportionate in the current context,” Health Minister Mark Butler said yesterday.

“I encourage everyone travelling overseas to be mindful of the continuing risk of COVID-19 and to take personal precautions to stop the spread and stay safe,” Butler added.

Passengers travelling on domestic flights to or from Norfolk Island may still need to wear a face mask in line with Norfolk Island COVID-19 restrictions. On outbound international flights from Australia, masks may still need to be worn if the destination government or airline requires it.

Singapore recently relaxed its own mask mandate, as did Fiji, while countries including the USA and UK already did many months ago.

But face masks are still mandatory on flights to the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and various other destinations. Some airlines may also continue to require masks to be worn despite government regulations not requiring this.

The Australian government previously lifted the requirement to wear masks inside Australian airports in June. Shortly after that, Qantas removed its mask mandate on international flights from Sydney, Brisbane and Perth to selected international destinations – but not flights from Melbourne, or inbound flights to Australia. This rule change means that passengers on many more flights will no longer have to wear a face mask.

Most airlines, including Qantas, are still making free face masks and sanitiser wipes available at the boarding gate or on request to any passenger who wants one.

Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Mask Mandates on Aircraft?

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.