A Democratic coalition of 18 U.S. House of Representatives members has introduced legislation requiring passengers to wear masks while they are in airports and while they are on board planes.
Headed by U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Rick Larsen (D-WA), chair of the House Subcommittee on Aviation, the group introduced the Healthy Flights Act of 2020 to provide a set of uniform requirements for aviation travel that would protect both passengers and airline and airport workers.
The legislation would also prepare aviation stakeholders for future pandemics and epidemics by developing a national preparedness plan on the aviation system’s response to future outbreaks.
“COVID-19 infections are spreading across this country like wildfire, yet the Trump administration refuses to enact basic public health protections for the tens of thousands of airline passengers who board airplanes each day. The administration has likewise failed to protect airline crews, other customer-facing airline employees, and those who still need to travel at this time,” DeFazio said. “The Healthy Flights Act provides clear, consistent rules and guidelines that give flight and cabin crews the authority they need to keep passengers safe, mitigate the spread of this insidious disease, and help our country prepare for future pandemics.”
Specificly, the legislation would clarify the FAA’s authority to impose any requirements on passenger and cargo air travel that may be necessary to protect the health and safety of airline workers and passengers; requires that passengers wear masks on board aircraft and within airports, while requiring personal protective equipment be issued to airline employees and certain FAA employees; mandates the development of a national aviation preparedness plan; and creates an FAA Center of Excellence on Infectious Disease Response and Prevention in Aviation to advise the FAA on infectious diseases and air travel.
“As chair of the Aviation Subcommittee, I make air travel safety my top priority,” Larsen said. “Keeping the flying public safe from COVID is even more difficult because of the lack of coordinated federal leadership. This bill includes commonsense measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 in air travel, ensure the safety of passengers and frontline aviation workers, and better prepare the U.S. aviation industry for public health crises.”
The legislation is backed by nearly a dozen aviation industry groups, including the American Association of Airport Executives, the Association of Flight Attendants, the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the Transport Workers Union of America.