 Alex Macheras |
The current goal is clear: To ensure that Covid-19 and air travel can, as safely as possible, coexist in a world so accustomed to flying, a world that’s reliant on flight for more than just using it as transportation to a holiday destination.
But for many countries, the risk of importing Covid-19 cases from elsewhere outweighs the losses incurred from a closed border policy. Testing passengers for Covid-19 remains one of the few strategic options available to airlines, but only if it’s rapid, reliable, as non-invasive as possible, and widespread. A ‘sterile flight’ is the ultimate goal – whereby all passengers have tested negative for Covid-19 within hours of boarding the aircraft by undergoing a fast, quick test (either a saliva swab, or a spit test, etc).
A company in Singapore has developed a breathalyser test for Covid-19, which it claims can give a result in under a minute. Breathonix, a start-up firm from the National University of Singapore, also claims its test was 90% accurate in a small trial of 180 people. It hopes to get the green-light from regulators early next year in order to start using the test to diagnose people with the disease. The test looks for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – chemicals in breath that are released by diseased cells in the body. Breathonix is currently expanding its trial across Singapore and hopes to improve the accuracy of its test before putting it on the market at the start of next year. Its accuracy rate was discovered during a pilot trial involving 180 volunteers at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. It’s hoped this type of test could eventually be deployed for use within the aviation sector.
Elsewhere, United will offer pre-flight Covid-19 testing next month for some travellers heading to London, the latest effort to get around travel restrictions and concerns about the virus.
The trial will run from November 16 through December 11 on some flights from its hub in Newark, New Jersey, to London Heathrow. United will pay for the rapid molecular Abbott ID now tests for Monday, Wednesday and Friday departures. Travellers who don’t want to be tested will be moved to other flights “guaranteeing everyone on board other than children under two will have tested negative before departure,” said the airline.
The test – even if negative – will not exempt passengers from quarantine upon arrival to the UK, but it will allow United to understand the potential effectiveness of pre-flight testing. United said it will share feedback from customers to the US and the UK government officials and said travel demand has increased when travellers have the option to test for the virus before the flight.
The US Chamber of Commerce, the US Travel Association, the International Air Transport Association, Airlines for America, airline employee unions and others are calling on the Trump Administration, state governors and several foreign countries "to pursue a risk-based and data-driven approach to coronavirus testing which would obviate the need for quarantines and travel bans so that the travel network can be safely reopened."
The US still bans entry by nearly all non-US citizens who recently were in China, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, Iran and parts of Europe. Nearly all of Europe still prohibits most US travellers from entering.
British Airways-owner IAG this week also called on governments (again) to adopt pre-departure Covid-19 testing as it continued to bear down on costs in the face of a second wave of the pandemic. The airline group, which issued more details on third quarter trading after last week reporting a €1.3bn third quarter loss, said its results were “exacerbated by constantly changing government restrictions”. The total figure came to €1.9bn including exceptional items relating to fuel hedges and job cuts.
"We are calling on governments to adopt pre-departure testing using reliable and affordable tests with the option of post flight testing to release people from quarantine where they are arriving from countries with high infection rates,” said new chief executive Louis Gallego.
IAG cut operating costs by 54% from to €205mn a week during the three months to September 30. The company also set aside €275mn for staff restructuring at British Airways and Aer Lingus where 10,000 jobs are being axed.
IAG last week cut fourth quarter capacity to no more than 30% compared to 2019. As a result, the group no longer expected to reach breakeven in terms of net cash flows from operating activities during the final three months of the year. Total revenue plunged 83% to €1.2bn, compared to €7.3bn last year.
But for many countries, the risk of importing Covid-19 cases from elsewhere outweighs the losses incurred from a closed border policy. Testing passengers for Covid-19 remains one of the few strategic options available to airlines, but only if it’s rapid, reliable, as non-invasive as possible, and widespread. A ‘sterile flight’ is the ultimate goal – whereby all passengers have tested negative for Covid-19 within hours of boarding the aircraft by undergoing a fast, quick test (either a saliva swab, or a spit test, etc).
A company in Singapore has developed a breathalyser test for Covid-19, which it claims can give a result in under a minute. Breathonix, a start-up firm from the National University of Singapore, also claims its test was 90% accurate in a small trial of 180 people. It hopes to get the green-light from regulators early next year in order to start using the test to diagnose people with the disease. The test looks for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – chemicals in breath that are released by diseased cells in the body. Breathonix is currently expanding its trial across Singapore and hopes to improve the accuracy of its test before putting it on the market at the start of next year. Its accuracy rate was discovered during a pilot trial involving 180 volunteers at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. It’s hoped this type of test could eventually be deployed for use within the aviation sector.
Elsewhere, United will offer pre-flight Covid-19 testing next month for some travellers heading to London, the latest effort to get around travel restrictions and concerns about the virus.
The trial will run from November 16 through December 11 on some flights from its hub in Newark, New Jersey, to London Heathrow. United will pay for the rapid molecular Abbott ID now tests for Monday, Wednesday and Friday departures. Travellers who don’t want to be tested will be moved to other flights “guaranteeing everyone on board other than children under two will have tested negative before departure,” said the airline.
The test – even if negative – will not exempt passengers from quarantine upon arrival to the UK, but it will allow United to understand the potential effectiveness of pre-flight testing. United said it will share feedback from customers to the US and the UK government officials and said travel demand has increased when travellers have the option to test for the virus before the flight.
The US Chamber of Commerce, the US Travel Association, the International Air Transport Association, Airlines for America, airline employee unions and others are calling on the Trump Administration, state governors and several foreign countries "to pursue a risk-based and data-driven approach to coronavirus testing which would obviate the need for quarantines and travel bans so that the travel network can be safely reopened."
The US still bans entry by nearly all non-US citizens who recently were in China, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Brazil, Iran and parts of Europe. Nearly all of Europe still prohibits most US travellers from entering.
British Airways-owner IAG this week also called on governments (again) to adopt pre-departure Covid-19 testing as it continued to bear down on costs in the face of a second wave of the pandemic. The airline group, which issued more details on third quarter trading after last week reporting a €1.3bn third quarter loss, said its results were “exacerbated by constantly changing government restrictions”. The total figure came to €1.9bn including exceptional items relating to fuel hedges and job cuts.
"We are calling on governments to adopt pre-departure testing using reliable and affordable tests with the option of post flight testing to release people from quarantine where they are arriving from countries with high infection rates,” said new chief executive Louis Gallego.
IAG cut operating costs by 54% from to €205mn a week during the three months to September 30. The company also set aside €275mn for staff restructuring at British Airways and Aer Lingus where 10,000 jobs are being axed.
IAG last week cut fourth quarter capacity to no more than 30% compared to 2019. As a result, the group no longer expected to reach breakeven in terms of net cash flows from operating activities during the final three months of the year. Total revenue plunged 83% to €1.2bn, compared to €7.3bn last year.
The author is an aviation analyst. Twitter handle: @AlexInAir