Travellers flying with Lufthansa will need to wear a face mask when they travel. The new requirement will be implemented from May until August 31, 2020.
The airline said despite numerous adjustments to service procedures, it was not always possible to maintain the required distance on a flight.
The airline revealed that the measure will provide "additional protection for all passengers." All flight attendants on Lufthansa flights in direct contact with passengers will also be required to wear a mask.
Lufthansa will comply with the official regulations of numerous European countries in which the wearing of a mouth and nose cover is now mandatory in public areas. According to Lufthansa, all passengers are requested to bring their own mouth and nose cover.
A "reusable fabric mask" is recommended, but "all other types of coverings, such as simple disposable masks or scarves, are also allowed." Despite the current "low occupancy rate," seats will be allocated as "widely as possible throughout the cabin." Lufthansa stressed that "in principle, infection on board remains very unlikely." Last week, Lufthansa announced that travel restrictions due to the global spread of the coronavirus had a "significant impact on the Lufthansa Group's earnings development in the first quarter of 2020."
Meanwhile, Lufthansa announced its repatriation flight schedule will preliminary be extended until May 31.
From May 18, Lufthansa will be operating flights from Frankfurt to Athens, Greece; Porto, Portugal and Gothenburg, Sweden in its reduced repatriation flight schedule. The airline's domestic flights from Munich will be doubled.
Lufthansa revealed its offering a total of 15 weekly long-haul connections: three times a week each from Frankfurt to Newark and Chicago in USA, Sao Paulo in Brazil, Bangkok in Thailand and Tokyo in Japan.
Lufthansa will also offer 330 weekly flights from its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich to some cities in Germany and Europe instead of the previous 280.
Xinhua