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Passengers flying from Heathrow to Italy and Hong Kong will now be able to get tested for coronavirus at the airport with results in just one hour.
Starting Tuesday, people flying to the two destinations will be able to book a private trial online for £ 80.
The ‘LAMP’ tests will be carried out in Terminals 2 and 5, and they are faster to process than NHS PCR, as they do not require samples to be sent to a laboratory.
Airport bosses say they will expand to antigen testing in the coming weeks, but did not reveal whether other countries would be added to the scheme.
Heathrow already has a test facility for returning passengers, but it is not being used.
Both of them Italy Y Hong Kong currently require all UK passengers to provide a coronavirus test result before they are allowed in.
It comes after Heathrow revealed a large test installation on arrival for passengers returning to the UK in August.
The test center is still empty because the government has yet to approve its use, which would mean the British could reduce the mandatory quarantine periods from 14 days to between five and eight days.
Heathrow’s new rapid test center is supported by the same companies as the old one.
Aviation services company Collinson and logistics company Swissport described the new pre-departure testing regime as a “crucial next step in keeping the travel industry moving and limiting the spread of the virus.”
Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said: “These facilities will make it easier for passengers going to those countries to get tested and have the potential to provide a service to arriving passengers.”
The government has yet to approve the use of the original test center
“Ultimately we need a common international standard for pre-departure testing, and we welcome the recent announcement by the UK government that it wants to take global leadership in establishing it.
“We will work with them to make this happen as soon as possible so that we can protect livelihoods and lives.”
David Evans, Collinson’s Joint Chief Executive Officer, added: “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 business entities to open trips outside the UK. “
