MANCHESTER Airport has become the first in the UK to ask passengers to wear face coverings and glove ­— while specialist equipment carrying out temperature screening.

The new measures have put in place immediately and apply to passengers departing or arriving through Manchester Airport

Passengers will be asked to wear gloves and also cover their faces, either with face masks or their own clothing.

The move is designed to test in which air travel can be made safe when life starts to return to normal.

Manchester Airport's owner, MAG has introduced the measures at all three of its airports and are as part of a wider pilot of measures aimed at working towards a new standard for safe international travel.

Passengers are being encouraged to bring their own gloves and face coverings or face masks to the airport.

But in the short term, those arriving without the protective clothing,the airport will provide gloves and masks that can be worn throughout passengers’ time in the airport.

All flights are currently operating from Terminal One at Manchester and stations are in place to provide gloves and masks in both arrivals and departure areas.

MAG says 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 an another level of protection to colleagues working at the airport.

All those working for MAG at Manchester Airport will wear gloves and face masks from today, and all staff working for airport partners will be encouraged to

There will be "some limited temperature screening trials" over the next few weeks.

Initially it will be to test equipment and results will not be communicated to passengers or used to decide whether a passenger can travel

MAG is also 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:“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.

“MAG has worked with the rest of the airport industry on a new safety framework for travel. We now need the Government to work urgently with us 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.

“At MAG, we’ve 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.”

Brad Miller, Chief Operating Officer at Manchester Airport, said: “We will always put the safety of our colleagues and customers first. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we have been running our operations in line with guidance from Public Health England.

“What we are starting to pilot from today are measures that will help us understand how we work towards running a busier airport again in the future.

“I want to place on record my thanks to all key workers continuing operate a reduced, but vital operation at Manchester, and for their cooperation in supporting these changes.

“Of course, none of this can happen without the support of our customers either, and so I would also like to thank them for their ongoing cooperation in keeping Manchester Airport safe.”