Business aviation advocates in Europe have repeatedly made the case for using short-turnaround Covid testing to replace shifting quarantine restrictions that have continued to suppress demand for flights as the continent has struggled to contain a second wave of infections. This has echoed calls from air transport lobbyists, who, as usual, take precedence in the attention of regulators.
In the meantime, frontline service providers have taken the initiative to make testing a viable option for business aircraft passengers and crew. A prime example is London’s Biggin Hill Airport, which in mid-November opened its own testing center, where a range of tests are available through specialist contractor G16.
The initiative is timely because, in the UK, the government will allow arriving passengers to be released from quarantine after five days of isolation on the production of a negative test result. The so-called test-to-release plan was due to start on December 15, with passengers required to pay for privately available tests. Other European countries have been introducing similar initiatives.
The privately-owned airport views the availability of on-site tests as part of the Contactless Travel Initiative and Return to the Skies program it launched in the early stages of the pandemic. These efforts, claims the management team, have been a significant factor in Biggin Hill keeping its standing as one of the UK’s busiest business aviation hubs at a time when other facilities around London have seen higher rates of Covid-led declines in traffic.
Customers can choose to be tested in the new Mansi Testing Suite (named after a prominent local doctor) or be met by clinicians on their aircraft or in the terminal building. The airport offers four different types of tests to give travelers options depending on the requirements of their destination country.
These include the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, for which results take 24 to 48 hours, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) test, which can be as quick as one hour, as well as antigen and antibody tests, for which results are available in just 15 minutes. Prices range from £140 ($182) for PCR and LAMP tests to £85 for the antigen procedure and £75 for antibody tests.
“We want to make it as easy as possible to get these tests,” said Robert Walters, Biggin Hill’s commercial director. “There has been some confusion over what tests are needed [in different countries], but there is some very good guidance now and the entry requirements around the world are clearer.”
According to Walters, aircraft operators and the network of business aviation support companies at the airport also benefit from having testing capability on-site. All tests can be booked online or via an operator’s FBO.
Business aviation advocates in Europe have repeatedly made the case for using short-turnaround Covid testing to replace shifting quarantine restrictions that have continued to suppress demand for flights as the continent has struggled to contain a second wave of infections. This has echoed calls from air transport lobbyists, who, as usual, take precedence in the attention of regulators.
In the meantime, frontline service providers have taken the initiative to make testing a viable option for business aircraft passengers and crew. A prime example is London’s Biggin Hill Airport, which in mid-November opened its own testing center, where a range of tests are available through specialist contractor G16.
The initiative is timely because, in the UK, the government will allow arriving passengers to be released from quarantine after five days of isolation on the production of a negative test result. The so-called test-to-release plan was due to start on December 15, with passengers required to pay for privately available tests. Other European countries have been introducing similar initiatives.
The privately-owned airport views the availability of on-site tests as part of the Contactless Travel Initiative and Return to the Skies program it launched in the early stages of the pandemic. These efforts, claims the management team, have been a significant factor in Biggin Hill keeping its standing as one of the UK’s busiest business aviation hubs at a time when other facilities around London have seen higher rates of Covid-led declines in traffic.
Customers can choose to be tested in the new Mansi Testing Suite (named after a prominent local doctor) or be met by clinicians on their aircraft or in the terminal building. The airport offers four different types of tests to give travelers options depending on the requirements of their destination country.
These include the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, for which results take 24 to 48 hours, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) test, which can be as quick as one hour, as well as antigen and antibody tests, for which results are available in just 15 minutes. Prices range from £140 ($182) for PCR and LAMP tests to £85 for the antigen procedure and £75 for antibody tests.
“We want to make it as easy as possible to get these tests,” said Robert Walters, Biggin Hill’s commercial director. “There has been some confusion over what tests are needed [in different countries], but there is some very good guidance now and the entry requirements around the world are clearer.”
According to Walters, aircraft operators and the network of business aviation support companies at the airport also benefit from having testing capability on-site. All tests can be booked online or via an operator’s FBO.