Lufthansa Is Starting Test Runs For The Corona Virus Before Departure

Lufthansa Is Starting Test Runs For The Corona Virus Before Departure

Lufthansa is starting the first test runs to test all passengers for the corona virus before departure. Starting next Thursday, all passengers on individual flights between Munich and Hamburg will take a free antigen rapid test, as the company announced in Frankfurt. Alternatively, passengers could submit a negative PCR test that was not more than 48 hours old or be rebooked onto another flight free of charge. The test results should be available after 30 to 60 minutes. A passenger is only allowed to board the plane with a negative result. According to its CEO Carsten Spohr, Lufthansa acquired 250,000 antigen tests in order to study the processes. Basically, the airline hopes to be able to offer more flight connections again, especially overseas, with the quick tests. "Successfully testing entire flights can be the key to revitalizing international air travel," said board member Christina Foerster. In the Lufthansa Group, the rapid tests have been tried out since the end of October on flights operated by the subsidiary Austrian Airlines between Berlin and Vienna. The antigen tests deliver faster, but so far less accurate results than the PCR tests. Spohr assured that air traffic "does not want to take anything away from anyone", especially not people in the health and education system. He is convinced, however, that the pharmaceutical industry can quickly deliver significantly larger quantities of the rapid tests than before.