PASSENGERS arriving at Heathrow Airport will soon be able to get a coronavirus test with results in just 24 hours – but will set you back £140.
Travellers, if getting the all-clear, could then avoid self-isolation altogether.
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Travel assistance company Collinson and ground-handling firm Swissport announced the new system, which would be aimed at people entering England from countries not included on the quarantine exemption list published, such as China, Portugal and the US.
If the scheme does go ahead, passengers due to land at Heathrow Terminal 2 will be able to visit a Swissport facility for testing.
A swab will be taken to a Collinson laboratory near the airport for analysis.
Passengers will be asked to transfer to their place of accommodation while they wait for their results.
If the test is negative for the virus, they would have no restrictions on their movement – if it comes back positive, they would need to self-isolate at the same address for 14 days.
But the Test On Arrival trial will only begin if the Government’s quarantine policy is updated to also allow people who test negative at Heathrow to travel freely.
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Vienna Airport is already offering coronavirus tests for arriving passengers willing to pay €190 (£172).
Austria requires passengers from certain countries, including the UK, to present a medical certificate showing they have been tested within the past four days and found not to have coronavirus.
Iceland is enforcing similar measures – the tiny island is letting travellers take a same-day coronavirus test upon arrival at Keflavík Airport.
Working with the National University Hospital of Iceland, passengers who test negative can then enter the country straight away.
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “The Government made a significant step forward last week by removing quarantine for visitors from many countries, but we still need a solution that safely allows passengers to travel to and from higher risk countries.
“This trial with Swissport and Collinson will provide a much-needed alternative to quarantine for those arriving passengers, and should add further momentum to the Government’s push for common international standards which are needed for the resumption of global travel.”
Collinson joint chief executive David Evans added: “We launched the tests to help get the travel ecosystem moving again, using science to reassure the public it’s safe to do so.”
He described the testing system being proposed as “gold standard”.
Swissport chief commercial officer Richard Cawthra said: “Test On Arrival perfectly complements last week’s list of countries exempt from quarantine.
“Should the Government also grant the exemption we are seeking, travellers could go to countries beyond those on the list with confidence, knowing that they would not face a quarantine upon landing in the UK as long as they test negative.”
In May, Heathrow launched a trial of thermal screening technology to identify elevated temperatures of arriving passengers.
