Terminal 3 at Manchester airport is to reopen on July 1, to enable social distancing as flights increase in the coming weeks.
The airport moved all flights into Terminal 1 on March 25, as passenger numbers plummeted due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
But with carriers gradually resuming operations at Manchester, the airport will reopen T3 next week, with British Airways, Ryanair, Air France, KLM, Eastern Airways and Loganair all moving back into the terminal.
The airport said that the move would “spread out the number of people and allow people to maintain and keep a sensible distance”.
Last week Emirates resumed flights between Manchester and Dubai, and this week Eastern Airways restarted flights to Southampton, and Swiss resumed services to Zurich.
Ryanair has also increased its routes from the airport this week, adding flights to Lanzarote, Malaga, Alicante, Barcelona, Milan, Budapest, Rome, Brussels, Faro, Ibiza, Lisbon, Madrid, Palma, Prague, Berlin and Tenerife.
The airport has introduced a number of health and safety measures over the last few weeks, including temperature check trials and mandatory face coverings for passengers, and pre-bookable security time slots.
UV cleaning technology is also being trialled on escalator hand rails, and protective screens have been installed in busy customer areas. A full list of measures, and the latest Covid-19 advice, can be seen at manchesterairport.co.uk/coronavirus.
Commenting on the news 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.”
