Delta Chief Health Officer Henry Ting said that he believes that the federal mask mandate for airports and airplanes will be lifted on “April 18th or shortly thereafter.” Ting said that while he does not know if the mandate will come down on April 18, the CDC, TSA, and the White House are all “looking closely at this” and will “certainly provide a roadmap.” “We’ve always known from the beginning of the pandemic that all restrictions should be lifted as soon as it’s safe to do so,” Ting said, adding that there is a transition occurring right now from “a global pandemic to a seasonal respiratory virus.” Ting, a renowned cardiologist who was named Delta’s first chief health officer in January 2021, said that amid the pandemic, the airline’s efforts around air ventilation, cleaning, and masking have resulted in “few if any outbreaks that could be attributed to a flight.” The US extended the requirement that masks are to be worn on planes and in airports, as well as on buses, trains, and other forms of transportation, through April 18 before it was set to expire on March 19. The Biden administration initially issued the mask mandate order shortly after the president took office in January 2021 and has repeatedly extended it since then. 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.<br/>
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Air France-KLM and its Dutch subsidiary KLM on Wednesday lost their challenge against million-euro fines re-imposed by EU antitrust regulators five years ago for taking part in an air cargo cartel two decades ago. Air France KLM said it was considering appeal against the decision. Air France and 10 of its peers had in 2015 won their court fight against fines levied by the European Commission in 2010 for fixing air freight services, fuel and security surcharges between December 1999 and February 2006. The EU competition enforcer subsequently fixed procedural errors pointed out by the Luxembourg-based General Court and in 2017 re-issued the same penalties except for Martinair which had its fine reduced. The airlines then took their case back to the General Court, Europe's second-highest. The Luxembourg-based court rejected Air France KLM and KLM's appeals and those brought by Martinair Holland, Cargolux, Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines. "Air France-KLM has taken note of the EU General Court’s judgement on the appeal filed against the decision of the European Commission of 17 March 2017 against 13 cargo operators, including Group airlines Air France, KLM and Martinair for practices considered to be anti-competitive in the air cargo sector," Air France KLM said. "The Group will immediately analyse this decision in view of an appeal before the Court of Justice. Provisions of E350.6m including interest have been made in respect of these fines in the accounts on 31 December 2021," it added.<br/>
The Italian government wants to clinch a deal on the sale of state-owned carrier ITA Airways by mid-June, two sources close to the matter said Wednesday. ITA took over from Alitalia in October, permanently grounding the 75-year-old, one-time symbol of Italian style and glamour after years of financial losses and failed rescue attempts. Shipping group MSC and Germany's Lufthansa have expressed interest in buying a majority stake in ITA and requested an exclusivity period of 90 days to iron out details of an acquisition. But Rome opted for a market-based procedure aimed at keeping the door open to other potential suitors. The government headed by PM Mario Draghi wants a privatisation deal in place before the start of summer, one of the sources said, asking not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. Draghi's office declined to comment. Under a government decree entered into force early this month, Rome plans to privatise ITA through a direct sale or a public offer while retaining a minority, non-controlling stake in a first stage. Last week the Treasury picked Equita and Gianni & Origoni as financial and legal advisers, intensifying efforts to find strategic partners.<br/>