Pre-departure Covid testing launched at Heathrow
Departing passengers travelling through Heathrow’s terminals 2 and 5 this week made use of the first pre-departure Covid tests from a major UK airport.
The facility, run by travel services firm Collinson and ground handler Swissport, offers so-called LAMP Covid-19 tests for passengers travelling to destinations that require pre-departure tests, such as Hong Kong and Italy. It will be run for an initial four-week trial period.
Tests at the facility cost £80 and passengers must book a test online ahead of arrival at the airport and will be provided timing guidelines to ensure on-time check-in. The companies aim to provide departing passengers with their results in around 60 minutes.
LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) tests - developed by Oxford University - differ from the PCR tests which are required in some destinations such as Cyprus, Greece, the Bahamas and Bermuda in that they can be processed quickly and without being sent to a laboratory.
The opening of the new facility complements Collinson and Swissport’s existing ‘Test-on-Arrival’ facility at Heathrow, that, while made available for use in August, is still yet to gain UK government approval for use.
David Evans, joint CEO at Collinson, said, “With countries around the world adding the UK to their list of ‘high risk’ countries, we need to find a way to work with governments, leading travel brands and other commercial entities to safely open up travel out of the UK.
“Government restrictions around the world will continue to fluctuate, but we, with our medical services and biotech partner network, have the capability to flex our offering to bespoke country needs, ensuring that, whatever the restriction, we can provide a way to keep travel moving, safely, without negatively impacting UK public testing capacity.”
Heathrow CEO, John Holland-Kaye, said: “Many other countries are already using testing to keep their borders safe while restarting trade and travel. These facilities will make it easier for passengers going to those countries to get a test and have the potential to provide a service for arriving passengers.
“Ultimately, we need a common international standard for pre-departure testing, and we welcome the UK government’s recent announcement that it wants to take a global lead in establishing this. We will work with them to make this happen as soon as possible, so that we protect livelihoods as well as lives.”
|
