Safe travel measures implemented at Manchester Airport

Manchester Airport has put in place a range of new measures to ensure safe travel for passengers to a growing number of destinations, as flights begin to resume.

The airport has been trialling a number of measures in recent weeks to help protect staff and keep passengers safe as they travel through the airport during the coronavirus pandemic. Following new government guidance, the airport has now updated its advice to passengers.

Temperature checks and enhanced cleaning are being implemented, with passengers requested to wear face coverings, and pre-book timeslots for passing through security to minimise queuing.

Manchester Airport has also given the following advice to help passengers take their own measures to ensure everyone is safe to travel:

• Don’t travel to the airport if you are displaying symptoms of Covid-19 or someone in your household is self-isolating. Details on the symptoms to look out for can be found here.
• Check the latest government advice regarding travel to your destination and any requirements for returning passengers, such as quarantine. Check the status of your flight with your airline
• Prepare for your journey by considering what you might need every step of the way. Do you need to leave extra time to get to the airport? Do you have the PPE you need to travel on public transport? Could you make your airport experience easier by booking a slot to pass through security?
• Protect others by only entering the terminal if you are a travelling passenger or working at the airport. This will help us with everything we are doing to keep customers and colleagues safe, particularly enabling others to maintain a safe distance between each other wherever possible
• Keep your distance from others while in the terminal. Social distancing won’t always be possible in an airport and there are many other measures to keep you safe. However, it is important you keep a respectful distance from other airport users wherever you can
• Cover your face at all times across the airport campus. In line with government guidance, and following a trial of various measures at Manchester Airport, all colleagues and customers are asked to wear face coverings within the terminal, on airport buses and throughout the campus. Customers should bring their own, face covering.
• Wash your hands regularly. The most effective way to prevent the spread of Covid-19 is hand-washing with soap and water, but extra hand sanitiser will be available throughout the airports 
• Be reassured by the other steps we are taking across the airport to keep you safe. We are cleaning all surfaces on a rolling basis; trialling UV cleaning technology on escalator handrails and installing protective screens in busy customer areas, among other measures 
• Help us by supporting the trials we are conducting into other potential safety measures at the airport. This includes the trialling of temperature testing equipment at the entrance to security

Brad Miller, Chief Operating Officer at Manchester Airport, said:

“As we see the return of more airlines and destinations for our passengers to fly to, it becomes even more important to ensure our passengers feel safe and have the latest information to hand before they travel.

“We’ve been trialling a lot of safety measures for the last month to ensure they are appropriate and firmly in place ahead of airlines ramping up their operations. We are confident we have the right mix of things in place to facilitate safe travel and allow passengers to fly with confidence.

“As well as having all our safety measures in place, we also ask that all passengers play their part in keeping themselves and others secure. This includes coming to the airport in a face covering and keeping a sensible distance from others when possible across the airport campus.

“I’d like to thank all our passengers for continuing to abide by the measures in place during these uncertain times, and also thank all our staff who have gone above and beyond to ensure safe travel for all.”

A range of carriers have already announced or re-started some of their operations from Manchester including Emirates flights to Dubai, Eastern Airways to Southampton, and Swiss Airlines flights have resumed flights to Zurich. Ryanair has also resumed flights to a number of popular destination in Europe, including Barcelona, Lisbon and Budapest.

Other airlines that have maintained travel routes to Manchester Airport for passengers and cargo during the coronavirus pandemic include Air France, KLM, Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways and PIA.

From July 1st, Terminal 3 will also reopen as passenger numbers are expected to increase, allowing travellers to keep a safe distance from one another more easily.