New Study Supports Rapid Testing for a Risk-Free Restart of Air Travel

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has encouraged the governments of countries worldwide, including EU countries, to endorse first-class antigen tests to fulfil the COVID-19 testing conditions, following the new OXERA and Edge Health research.

The OXERA and Edge Health report instructed by IATA revealed that antigen tests are:

• Accurate: the best-in-class antigen tests generally provide similar results to the PCR test by accurately identifying infected travellers. For instance, the BinaxNOW antigen test misses only one positive COVID-19 case in 1000 travellers, and it has the same performance as the PCR test regarding the false negatives.
• Convenient: the processing time for antigen tests is 100 times faster than for the PCR tests.
• Economical: antigen tests are on average 60 per cent cheaper than PCR tests.

“For governments, the top priority is accuracy. But travellers will also need tests to be convenient and affordable. The OXERA-Edge Health report tells us that the best-in-class antigen tests can tick all these boxes. It’s important for governments to consider these findings as they make plans for a restart,” IATA’s Director General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said.

In a press release issued by IATA, the same points out that the testing requirements are fragmented at the moment, which is causing confusion to travellers. Apart from that, many governments have not permitted rapid testing yet, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

PCR Test Requirements Decrease Travel Demand by 65% Due to High Costs

IATA expressed its concern if the PCR tests are the only available form for travellers since they come along with disadvantages and inconvenience.

“Travelers need options. Including antigen testing among acceptable tests will certainly give strength to the recovery,” Juniac commented on the issue.

If rapid tests are not available for travellers, they will be facing cost and convenience obstacles, according to a report of the OXERA-Edge Health, which provided the following evaluation:

• The PCR test cost can entirely modify the travel economics. If a family decided to travel from the UK to the Canary Islands, they would have to undergo 16 tests reaching the total cost of around €1,850.
• A standard business trip from London to Frankfurt sees an increase in the cost of 59 per cent with the requirement for a PCR test.
• The pattern shows that with reference to the five routes studied, London-New York, London-Frankfurt, UK-Singapore, UK-Pakistan and Manchester-Canary Islands, PCR testing requirements will decrease the travel demand by around 65 per cent.

“The type of testing regime chosen will make the difference in how quickly the travel industry recovers. The choice of a rapid test would be a real boost to the global travel and international business community, and our research shows it can be as effective as other testing regimes and as effective as a ten-day quarantine,” Michele Granatstein, Oxera’s representative on the ACI Europe Economics Committee said.

The replacement of the PCR test with antigen one would cause an impact on demand, but only around 30 per cent. Additionally, concerning the processing times for antigen testing, the report indicated a shortage of PCR tests.

Currently, the majority of EU countries ask travellers from other EU countries to present negative COVID-19 test results upon arrival. Only this week, Norway informed that everyone entering the country must undergo a rapid test at the border and wait for the results at the test station.

Italy, on the other hand, announced that all persons need to quarantine for five days and if they test negative after the quarantine period is over, they are free of their obligation. Whereas in Portugal, travellers from Bulgaria, Czechia, Cyprus, Slovenia, Estonia, France, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Poland, and Sweden are obliged to present a PCR test result not older than 72 hours.