Passengers travelling through MAG?s three airports at Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands have been asked to cover their faces and wear gloves from May 7.
The airports are the first in the UK to ask their passengers to wear face coverings. Passengers are being encouraged to bring their own gloves and face coverings or face masks to the airport. However, in the early stages, people arriving without masks and gloves, the airport will provide the same to be worn throughout passengers? time in the airport. Staff will guide passengers navigate through the usual security processes while wearing protective equipment.
The move is to ensure that the small number of passengers currently making essential journeys through its airports feel safer and more confident about flying, as well as providing a further level of protection to colleagues working at the airport.
It believes that the new guidelines represent a first step towards demonstrating ways in which air travel can be safe when more passengers start travelling again. At present, with few flights and passengers at the airport, social distancing is practiced in MAG?s airports and the new guidelines will not change that.
All MAG colleagues serving passengers will wear gloves and face masks. MAG will be conducting some limited temperature screening trials over the next few weeks. Initially, during this trial phase, this will be to test equipment and results will not be communicated to passengers or used to decide whether a passenger can travel. MAG is considering asking all passengers to make a health declaration in order to enter its airports and will give passengers sufficient notice of any such trials.
Charlie Cornish, group CEO, MAG, said: ?MAG has been working with the rest of the airport industry on a new safety framework for travel. We now need to work urgently with government to agree how we operate in the future. This has to be a top priority so that people can be confident about flying, and to get tourism and travel going again.?
Image Source: Chad Davis/ Flickr
