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Austrian Airlines and Vienna Airport start trial operations for Covid-19 rapid antigen tests
In close cooperation with Vienna Airport, Austrian Airlines is now starting its first trial operation for the use of Covid-19 rapid antigen tests on air travel. All passengers on flight OS 229 between October 23 and November 8 from Vienna to Berlin will have the opportunity to take a free and voluntary quick test before departure. For this purpose, Vienna Airport set up a test center in the check-in area of ??Terminal 3. After the test has been carried out, passengers receive their test results within 10 to 15 minutes - either via SMS or, if desired, after personal consultation. The boarding pass will only be activated if the result is negative and access to the security area and gate will be granted. If the test result is positive, the affected passenger is looked after by the airport medical team for a comprehensive clarification of the state of health and the further procedure is determined with the responsible health authority. In this case, the Austrian Airlines flight can be rebooked or canceled free of charge.
“The plane is already the safest form of public transport. Nevertheless, we want to go one step further with this test project and make air travel even safer, ”said Austrian COO Jens Ritter, explaining the aim of the project.
The many travel restrictions have made it difficult for airports and airlines to establish stable operations in recent months. Together with Vienna Airport, Austrian Airlines has therefore set itself the goal of showing how rapid tests can be integrated into the passengers' travel chain. The Lufthansa Group is working with its partners on procedures that enable intercontinental mobility and freedom of travel while maintaining health protection even during the pandemic. The findings from Vienna are incorporated into the overarching project of the Lufthansa Group. "We have to dismantle the borders that Corona has built up in recent months," emphasizes Austrian COO Ritter. "In perspective, it is our goal to also relax the travel restrictions, but first of all we want to show that how a targeted test program could work, ”he explains. If the trial operation is well established, then one would like to offer the test offer on a larger scale. Flughafen Wien board member Julian Jäger adds: “The entire tourism and travel industry urgently needs future-proof solutions in order to get out of the crisis. Rapid antigen tests provide quick results and can be easily integrated into the operational process of a flight. A widespread use at airports and airlines within the framework of a Europe-wide uniform test regime could enable the freedom of travel for passengers, which is important for business and tourism. " Flughafen Wien board member Julian Jäger adds: “The entire tourism and travel industry urgently needs future-proof solutions in order to get out of the crisis. Rapid antigen tests provide quick results and can be easily integrated into the operational process of a flight. A widespread use at airports and airlines within the framework of a Europe-wide uniform test regime could enable the freedom of travel for passengers, which is important for business and tourism. " Flughafen Wien board member Julian Jäger adds: “The entire tourism and travel industry urgently needs future-proof solutions in order to get out of the crisis. Rapid antigen tests provide quick results and can be easily integrated into the operational process of a flight. A widespread use at airports and airlines within the framework of a Europe-wide uniform test regime could enable the freedom of travel for passengers, which is important for business and tourism. "
State Secretary for Aviation Magnus Brunner welcomes the pilot project: “The pilot project can be used to venture into the near future and, above all, to demonstrate the feasibility of the necessary processes. This means that antigen tests can be used as soon as possible if they are of the appropriate quality with regard to sensitivity and specificity. In this way we are taking a step towards the 'new normal' in order to stimulate our social life and the economy accordingly. ”