On Tuesday, London’s Heathrow airport launched paid-for rapid coronavirus testing, with results in one hour, as it seeks to boost demand decimated by the deadly pandemic.
The LAMP saliva test, which does not have to be processed in a laboratory, will cost $102 per passenger and is available initially for passengers flying to Italy and Hong Kong from Terminals two and five.
The Covid-19 test will provide results more quickly than those used by Britain’s state-run National Health Service, according to the Heathrow test providers aviation services company Collinson and logistics firm Swissport.
Passengers will be asked to register online for the test before travelling to Heathrow, which is based west of the British capital.
Collinson and Swissport described the tests as a critical step in the aviation sector’s recovery, restoring traveller confidence and reopening routes from the UK to the rest of the world.
Italy and Hong Kong require passengers to provide evidence of a negative Covid-19 test prior to departure, a statement added.
Passengers arriving in Britain from Italy, San Marino and the Vatican State now have to self-isolate for 14 days, under new guidance that came into force Sunday.
