Bristol Airport has launched a campaign to guide passengers through coronavirus-related safety measures it has introduced ahead of international flights resuming this weekend.
Budget airline Ryanair re-starts a number of its services tomorrow, including to Alicante and Malaga in Spain, while rival easyJet is to operate flights on half its 72 routes from Bristol next month. 
Easyjet has already restarted some domestic flights from the airport, including to Belfast, while Ryanair has maintained its Dublin link during the lockdown – at one time it was the only daily flight out of Bristol.
Both airlines have also introduced strict safety measures on their flights, including making masks compulsory for passengers as well as cabin and ground crew and extra cleaning of aircraft.
However, as more flights resume, Bristol Airport itself has put in place measures to protect passengers and its staff.
Going under the title of Safe Journeys Start Here – and with the strapline Get ready, Stay safe, Let’s travel – the campaign is aimed at helping reduce the risk of infection at what is traditionally the airport’s busiest time of the year as, under normal circumstances, thousands of holidaymakers take off for their summer break.
The campaign urges passengers to plan ahead by checking in online at home to get their digital boarding pass and then arrive at the airport two hours before their scheduled departure time as extra safety checks will be in place.
Passengers must also wear a face covering inside the terminal at all times and bring a contactless payment card with the as none of the airport’s shops or restaurants will be accepting cash.
To help passengers maintain safe distancing, all customer parking will be within walking distance of the terminal – transfer buses are not operating.
Also only passengers can enter the airport, or those helping a passenger who needs special assistance.
All passengers will have their temperature scanned prior to check-in to make sure they are safe to travel. There are also signs around the terminal to reinforce social-distancing.
Extra cleaning will be carried out to help keep surfaces germ-free – including using an electrostatic fogging process. All high frequency touch-point areas being sanitised hourly and hand sanitiser stations have been installed across the airport.
Protective shields have been installed at desks and checkouts. There will be a limited selection of essential shops and restaurants open from early July including World Duty Free, WHSmith, Superdrug and Starbucks.
Bristol Airport CEO Dave Lees said: “We continue to work on the latest government guidance available to keep our customers and colleagues safe whilst providing these vital air links.
“We have introduced ‘Safe journeys start here’, a three step plan: Get ready > Stay safe > Let’s travel to reassure customers of the actions we have taken at the airport.
“The measures include enhanced cleaning procedures, social-distancing policies, one way queuing systems, hand sanitiser locations, contactless payment facilities, customer awareness signage, protective screens for customer interaction points and staff wearing face coverings in all key customer contact points as safety is our key priority.”
