Masks have been made mandatory on all Air New Zealand flights to and from New Zealand.
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Until now, passengers have had to wear them on domestic flights, and on international flights from countries whose governments had made them compulsory, like Australia, Samoa and South Korea, but not all international flights.
The airline announced the change today, and said it's due to updated border safety requirements overseas, because of the new more easily transmitted strains of Covid-19.
It had previously strongly encouraged all international passengers to wear masks, but now they will have to.
Air New Zealand Chief Operational Integrity and Safety Officer David Morgan says the airline will continue to review its safety processes.
"To date our customers have been overwhelmingly supportive of the requirement to wear masks and we thank them for their ongoing cooperation."
The company is also working with the government on changes to border requirements here, including pre-departure testing, which was announced last week.
They advised customers to keep abreast of what they need to know about before travelling, on the company's website.
