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Swiss Airbus at Zurich Airport (archive image)
Photo: MICHAEL BUHOLZER/ AFP
The Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss does not comply with the mandatory mask requirement on board during operations in Germany.
On at least two of the airline’s flights from Hamburg and Berlin to Zurich this Sunday, the Swiss cabin crew did not once point out the obligation to wear a mask – although according to the Infection Protection Act, all travelers wear medical mouth and nose protection on all flights to and from Germany have to.
In an Airbus A320 from Hamburg to Zurich, an estimated 40 percent of the approximately 200 passengers were traveling without face coverings.
When asked about this, a flight attendant said: “At Swiss, we no longer have to wear masks.”
When she was informed that mouth and nose protection was still mandatory on all routes that take off or land in Germany, she replied: “Swiss decided that.” The cabin crew themselves wore masks.
The Swiss airline, which is part of the Lufthansa Group, lifted the mask requirement on board at the beginning of April.
Nevertheless, she has to comply with the corona regulations of the countries she is heading to.
Swiss relies on Swiss legislation on board
The legal situation in Europe is very different: while countries such as France, Poland or Switzerland have abolished the obligation to wear a mask in the cabin, it continues to exist in Germany - and thus also in the Lufthansa machines and all airlines when they head for the Federal Republic or here depart.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) justifies this with the still high number of cases, which, according to him, make such measures in public transport unavoidable.
The Infection Protection Act states literally: "The means of air transport [...] may only be used by passengers [...] if these people wear a breathing mask (FFP2 or comparable) or a medical face mask (mouth and nose protection) during transport ).« The only exceptions are children up to the age of six and passengers with certain health impairments.
The regulation is still valid up to and including September 23.
A spokesman for Swiss, on the other hand, told SPIEGEL on request: »The mask-wearing obligation applies on flights to (sic!) destinations where it is mandatory.
For example, our guests have to wear the mask on flights to Germany, but not on flights to Switzerland.
Our aircraft are registered in Switzerland, so Swiss legislation also applies on board.«
The press office of the Federal Ministry of Health, on the other hand, confirmed to SPIEGEL that the mask requirement applies to all flights that take off or land in Germany.
The ministry did not want to comment on the specific case of Swiss.
Other foreign airlines adhere to the mask requirement in Germany.
Ryanair and Easyjet, for example, require all passengers to wear mouth and nose protection on flights that take off or land in Germany: because of German legislation.
At Lufthansa, employees recently caused an uproar when they denied a Jewish travel group of more than 130 people blanket access to a plane from Frankfurt to Budapest after some of the group members on the previous flight refused to wear masks.
Lufthansa boss Carsten Spohr then apologized to the Central Council of Jews for this discrimination.
The completely different handling of the Swiss sister airline with the German corona regulations is all the more remarkable.
The Lufthansa Group has recently called for the mask requirement on board to be completely abolished.