Emirates Executive Predicts Two More Years of Face Coverings

The National reports senior vice president of Emirates Group Security Zack Zainal Abidin said masks could still be needed for the next 24 months.

“There’s going to be at least two more years of people wearing masks”

Abidin made the comments during an aviation security conference in Dubai on Sunday, October 3, 2021. In his comments, he notes that until COVID-19 becomes a regular part of our lives, flyers may need to wear a face covering to protect themselves and others from spreading the virus.

“It’s going to be a while before the status of Covid-19 changes,” Abidin said, as quoted by The National. “And there’s going to be at least two more years of people wearing masks.”

Although face coverings have become ubiquitous with the modern aviation experience, there have been numerous flyers who refuse to follow the rules set by airlines and governments on them. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, carriers have reported over 3,300 unruly passenger incidents directly related to face mask rules. As of the week of September 26, 2021, there are nearly eight unruly passenger incidents per 10,000 flights departing in the U.S. alone.

Regardless, Abidin notes that until the pandemic is regarded as an endemic, face masks will still be required on commercial flights.

“It used to be the case that the flu was regarded as a dangerous disease until it became part and parcel of life,” Abidin said, as quoted by The National. “It’s going to take some time before Covid-19 reaches that stage.”

Face masks are not just a challenge for flight crews dealing with unruly passengers. With everyone wearing a face covering, Abidin says facial recognition technologies used to track suspicious individuals and terror threats is no longer enough. With more aviation technology going touchless, fingerprinting is also no longer on the table. As a result, the aviation industry will need to come up with new ways to flag dangerous flyers before boarding.

“Facial recognition technology is not enough now, we need to find ways to go beyond that and be able to identify people who are wearing masks,” said Abidin in The National. “These are the new technologies that have to be explored and expanded, due to the conditions created by the pandemic.”

Flyers Frustrated by Face Mask Rules Around the World

Although face coverings may not be going away anytime soon, some flyers are trying to find ways to get around the rule. In June 2021, a Florida-based flyer sued the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to end the federal face mask mandate. Several airlines filed a counterargument requesting the case be dismissed.