United CEO says it’s ‘very unlikely’ travel mask mandate will return

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby on Thursday said it is “very unlikely” that the Biden administration’s mask mandate for airplanes will return.

Kirby’s remarks come after a U.S. district court judge in Florida struck down the federal requirement for most modes of public transportation on Monday.

Following the judge’s ruling, the administration on Monday said the Transportation Security Administration would temporarily stop enforcing the mask mandate, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Justice Department on Wednesday said it would appeal the judge’s ruling to reinstate the mask mandate, responding to a CDC request to protect Americans’ health and support the CDC’s authority.

But on Thursday, Kirby told NBC News in an interview that the United States was “on the road, I think, to removing the mask [mandate] even before the judge’s ruling.”

The Justice Department’s appeal “is mostly about jurisdiction,” he said, adding: “I think it’s very unlikely that a mask requirement is going to come back any time in the foreseeable future.”

United Airlines on Monday initially said it would keep enforcing the mask mandate until it received more clarity on the judge’s ruling. Later that day, however, the airline said it would no longer enforce the mandate for domestic flights.

Asked on Wednesday whether Americans should continue to wear masks on planes, President Joe Biden said: “That’s up to them.”