As of October 18, 2021, Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) will no longer require passengers to wear a mask on flights within Scandinavian countries. The news comes as Scandinavia begins to abolish domestic COVID-19 restrictions.
In a statement published on its website, SAS announced: “Due to the opening of societies and general recommendations from authorities in Scandinavia, SAS is from 18 October 2021, removing the requirement for mandatory use of face masks on flights within Scandinavia.”
However, the airline will continue to follow recommendations from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regarding the mandatory mask rule on international SAS operations, and will maintain the “requirements to use face masks on board flights to other European and Intercontinental destinations until further notice”.
Denmark was one of the first countries in the European Union (EU) to lift all domestic COVID-19 health restrictions in early September 2021.
“We are in a good position in Denmark in which Covid-19 is no longer considered a critical threat to society and the majority of the population is now vaccinated,” the minister of justice Nick Hækkerup said. “It is therefore no longer necessary to maintain intense police border controls in which tourists from outside the EU need specific reasons to be permitted to enter Denmark.”
During the same month, Norway and Sweden followed suit and lifted almost all remaining domestic health restrictions, as both countries were seeing fewer new COVID-19 deaths.
While national COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted in all three countries, international air travel restrictions will continue to apply.
All countries will allow entry for EU/EEA citizens who arrive from low-infection country and present proof of vaccination, negative tests or a certificate of recovery without any restrictions. Travellers who do not fall into these categories will be subject to different entry rules (which can be found here: https://bit.ly/2YZ2d7A, https://bit.ly/3je6qeh, and https://bit.ly/3pdDE1s)