Passengers on domestic flights and on routes between Norway and Sweden and Denmark will no longer have to wear face masks from April 4, authorities have announced.
The decision was made due to “revised policies across Europe” and applies to all flights across the airline’s network.
“Norwegian has announced that travelers on its domestic operations and on services between Norway, Sweden and Denmark will no longer be required to wear face masks, with reports suggesting other airlines in the region are set to follow suit,” Sweden pointed out on Twitter.
“People will no longer need to wear masks when flying domestically or in Scandinavia. This comes after Scandinavian countries have removed restrictions.”
Norwegian still emphasizes that it is “the passenger’s responsibility to observe local regulations and restrictions,” and advises “all passengers to check local requirements and guidance at their destination before traveling, including stopovers and connecting flights in Europe.”
According to the carrier, the move is the result of countries reducing or eliminating travel restrictions thanks to extensive vaccination programs.
In fact, Scandinavian countries have recently seen a downward trend in infections. Progress in the introduction of booster shots in these countries has also helped authorities relax some of their travel restrictions and gradually return to some sort of a pre-pandemic lifestyle.
“We believe the time is right now based on the infection situation in the country,” SAS spokesman John Eckhoff told Norwegian TV2 in this regard.
Meanwhile, Norwegian has laid out plans to launch a new route between Manchester and Trondheim twice a week from August 15, 2022.
The carrier already offers a number of short-haul flights from London Gatwick Airport, as well as flights to and from Edinburgh and Manchester.