Delta Air Lines' health chief predicts the end of airplane mask mandate soon.

• The requirement for masks to be worn on planes, in airports, buses, trains, and other forms of transportation in the U.S. has been extended throughout the pandemic, but it will end on April 18.
• Delta Air Lines Chief Health Officer Henry Ting stated at CNBC's Healthy Returns event that he anticipates the federal mask mandate for airports and airplanes will be lifted soon.
• Airline CEOs, including Delta's Ed Bastian, have written to President Biden requesting the end of Covid-era transportation policies.

The federal mask mandate for airports and airplanes will likely be lifted on or around April 18th, according to Chief Health Officer Henry Ting.

Ting stated at the CNBC's Healthy Returns event on Wednesday that although he is uncertain about the date of the mandate, the CDC, TSA, and White House are closely monitoring the situation and will provide a roadmap.

From the start of the pandemic, it was clear that all restrictions should be lifted once it was safe to do so, according to Ting, who also noted that the world is currently moving from a global pandemic to a seasonal respiratory virus.

Delta's first chief health officer, Ting, stated that the airline's efforts around air ventilation, cleaning, and masking have resulted in "few if any outbreaks that could be attributed to a flight" during the pandemic.

The Biden administration has extended the requirement for masks to be worn on planes, in airports, buses, trains, and other forms of transportation through April 18, initially set to expire on March 19. This mandate was initially issued by the Biden administration shortly after the president took office in January 2021 and has been repeatedly extended. Under President Trump, there was no government mandate around masking, but airlines, including Delta, issued their own mask requirements dating back to the start of the pandemic in spring 2020.

Recently, the airline industry has been opposing the extension of the mask mandate on airplanes and in airports. On March 23, Delta CEO Ed Bastian, along with the CEOs of other airlines, wrote a joint letter to Biden, stating that it is "past time to eliminate COVID-era transportation policies," including the mask mandate.

"As we have entered a new phase in managing this virus, we strongly agree with your perspective that COVID-19 should no longer dictate our lives," the letter states. Additionally, the CEOs advocated for the elimination of international pre-departure testing requirements for U.S. inbound passengers.

According to Ting, the CDC recognizes that airports and airplanes are the last places where masks are required, while in the rest of America, masking is optional in restaurants, churches, and sports venues.

The FAA reported that over 71% of the 5,981 unruly airline passenger behavior reports in 2021 were related to mask mandate disputes.

These past two years have been challenging for our people," he stated. "This is the final region where I believe the CDC is considering lifting the mask mandate and allowing an exit ramp.