PASSENGERS using Stansted Airport are being urged to wear face masks from today to tackle Covid-19.

Bosses have issued new guidance will be for all passengers departing or arriving through Stansted

Passengers will be asked to wear gloves andcover their faces, either with face masks or their own clothing

The move is designed to make air travel safer when passenger numbers start to grow again in the future.

Operator Manchester Airports Group is also trialling the measures at its Manchester and East Midlands airports, making them the first in the country to ask their passengers to wear face coverings.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

  • Stansted Airport during lockdown 

Bosses say the move will help the small number of passengers currently making essential journeys through its airports feel safer, as well as protecting staff.

Social distancing is already being practised at Stansted.

Airport staff will wear gloves and face masks from today.

Stansted is also conducting limited temperature screening trials over the next few weeks to test equipment.

Results will not be given to passengers or used to decide if a passenger can travel.

Passengers could also be made to make a health declaration before entering the airport.

Stansted chief operating officer Steve Griffiths said: “It’s clear that social distancing will not work on any form of public transport. But we’re confident that when the time is right, people will be able to travel safely.

“Here at London Stansted, we’ve been working hard with our two sister airports and the rest of the industry on a new safety framework for travel.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

  • Chief operating officer Steve Griffiths

"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.

“We have taken expert medical advice on how people can travel safely, and we’re pleased to be piloting these new measures at our airports for those passengers who do still need to travel.

"We expect to be able to agree a new framework by the end of May that will support a restart of the industry as soon as possible.”