A 24-lane private Covid testing site has opened at Heathrow.
Pre-departures tests cost £80 for passengers or £99 for the general public. Heathrow staff are charged £60.
It will initially offer ‘gold standard’ PCR tests, which could be used by departing passengers looking to satisfy international travel requirements.
When fully launched, the drive-through facility will have two on-site labs, with the capacity to process more than 5,000 tests a day, with results typically received by email or text the next day.
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “We’re delighted to host this site which will help our passengers to get away safely in time for the festive season.
“Testing is crucial to the UK’s recovery from this pandemic and we look forward to working with ExpressTest, government and our airlines to better understand how pre-departure testing could be used to eradicate the need to quarantine on arrival.”
ExpressTest co-founder Nick Markham added: “We’re thrilled to be opening a screening site at Heathrow, our biggest site to date, with 24 lanes and the potential to test 5,000 customers a day.
“Since setting up ExpressTest, our ambition has been to provide people with the peace of mind they need to go about their daily lives, whether that’s travelling or simply visiting friends and family safely.”
Testing sites have already been established at a number of UK airports, including Gatwick, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Liverpool and thr MAG-owned airports of Manchester, Stansted and East Midlands.