Prestwick Airport is being prepared as a temporary mortuary as plans are put in place to deal with a rapid increase in coronavirus deaths.
All three Ayrshire councils have agreed plans in case deaths from the virus take a sharp increase.
Temporary mortuary provisions have already been put in place in other parts of Scotland.
And now Prestwick is being put on standby to play its own role in the pandemic.
A hangar at the airport is being specially prepared to deal with any intake of bodies, should it be required.
It comes just a day after it was confirmed that 16 people had died at Berelands Nursing Home in the town.
A joint statement from North, East and South Ayrshire Councils said: "As part of our contingency measures in relation to COVID-19, we have taken an all Ayrshire approach to facilitate a temporary body storage facility at Prestwick Airport.
“The three Ayrshire Councils are in regular contact with the NHS and Funeral Directors across the region to assess their capacity to manage any additional deaths throughout this period.
"The Prestwick facility will only be used in the event that Funeral Directors can no longer manage any additional deaths.”
