Katie Hopkins angers passengers after not wearing face mask on flight from LA to London

Rightwing commentator frequently speaks out against wearing face coverings despite deadly pandemic

Katie Hopkins in Los Angeles, California on 24 October (GC Images via Getty)

Katie Hopkins reportedly caused distress among fellow passengers onboard a transatlantic flight after she was seen without a face mask.

The controversial rightwing commentator boarded the British Airways flight from LAX to London on Monday afternoon without a covering on her face.

She was also pictured in Heathrow airport without a mask, despite the deadly and increasingly intensifying coronavirus pandemic.

One of Hopkins’ fellow passengers told Mirror Online: “She went through the whole flight without wearing a mask. It was ridiculous and not a flight you wanted to be on.

“She didn’t wear a mask on the flight and wandered through Heathrow without one on as well.”

Face coverings are mandatory both onboard flights and inside airports.

A spokesperson for  British Airways said: “All customers and British Airways staff members are required to wear a mask throughout their journey, unless they meet the government’s exemption requirements, as stated on ba.com. This is to ensure the wellbeing of their fellow travellers and the airline’s staff members. ​”

The Heathrow rules states: “All passengers aged 11 and older are required to wear face coverings at all time within our terminal buildings.”

Ms Hopkins, 45, was returning from the United States after appearing at pro-Trump presidential election rallies.

She has spoken out against the wearing of face coverings and previously shared social media posts against masks.

Before she was permanently banned from Twitter for violating the platform’s policy on “hateful conduct” in June, Hopkins tweeted that the public was “being played” when they were told to wear face coverings.

The former Apprentice contestant continues to use Instagram and shared an image of a child wearing a visor in a pushchair on Monday, telling her 117,000 followers: “What the hell are we doing to our children? This is a mental illness. Masked. Blinded. Isolated. To what end.”

Ms Hopkins told The Independent: “I would like to thank the delightful BA crew for their service on my return to the UK and wish the company and their staff all the very best in an impossible operating environment.

“Lockdown will prove to be the greatest hoax in human history and I refuse to be a part of it.”