• New facility, located 10 metres from the terminal building, opening in time to
provide additional capacity for customers travelling during the peak summer
season
• Facility open for any traveller looking for a convenient central London
location in which to get tested
• London City Airport CEO & Collinson Joint-CEO call on the Government to
trust the testing system to safely restart international travel this summer
London City Airport has announced it is expanding its testing capabilities with a new,
larger facility in partnership with Collinson, the expert in global medical assistance and
travel experiences.
The brand-new facility, located less than a minute’s walk from the airport terminal, will
be able to administer over 200 tests per hour and will be available to meet increased
demand from passengers when the UK Government decides to meaningfully restart
international travel.
Passengers will be offered a full range of Government-approved COVID-19 testing
solutions, and for passengers returning from amber list countries, the London City
facility will offer a same day Test to Release service. This will enable passengers who
receive a negative test result to end their quarantine on day five.
Ahead of the next Government reviews of international travel later this month, both
London City Airport and Collinson believe the Global Travel Taskforce should consider
the following changes as we approach the traditional peak summer getaway season:
• Trust Testing – the private sector has invested heavily to create a
comprehensive, robust international travel testing system that would enable
safe travel in accordance with UK Government guidelines. Taken alongside
the UK’s highly successful vaccine rollout, we believe that practical, reliable,
affordable testing can boost passenger confidence and open up
international travel safely.
• Follow the Data – given the vaccine rollout and the robust testing regime, the
Government should consider utilising the latest data to recognise the status of
vaccinated travellers and facilitate safe travel for British holidaymakers to
amber list countries where infection rates are low e.g., Portugal
• Don’t be left behind by Europe – the European Commission has set a clear
direction to restart travel by 1st July and is progressing with a Digital Covid
Certificate that will be recognised by every member state, enabling travellers
to use proof of a vaccination or negative test result to travel safely within the
EU.
Passengers heading to ‘Green’ and Amber’ countries are currently required to take
several tests both prior to departure and on arrival. Over the past few weeks, the
number of people taking tests at London City has doubled, showing there is strong
acceptance of testing and demand for post-lockdown trips abroad during the
summer months. And a recent survey for London City Airport showed that 46% of
people indicated a preference to fly to the Mediterranean this year.
The investment in a new facility will provide London City with increased testing
capacity and the ability to deliver an additional 200-250 tests per hour, in line with
expected demand, and current airline schedules. Tests are available to both
passengers flying from the airport and people looking for a convenient London
location to take their test, before flying from another airport.
Collinson is the only UK Government-approved provider of the Test to Release (TTR)
process that can release travellers arriving from ‘Amber’ countries from quarantine at
the earliest time possible: after they have completed five full days of quarantine.
London City will be one of the few locations offering Collinson’s rapid RT-LAMP
solution, which was developed by Oxford University and approved by the UK
Government. Travellers with appointments made up until 4pm can be released from
quarantine on the same day as taking their day five test* – much quicker than RT-PCR
tests, which can take 48 hours to turnaround.
Commenting on the new Testing Centre and looking ahead to the next Government
reviews of international travel, Robert Sinclair, CEO of London City Airport said:
“We still believe there will be a summer getaway, and our investment in this new, larger
testing facility is not only testament to that belief, but a demonstration of our
commitment to making the London City passenger journey safe, straightforward, and
as quick as possible.”
“There is no doubt that the next Government reviews are of vital importance. We
need to put in place a framework that enables the reopening of international travel
this summer. I would urge the Government to consider what airports and airlines are
doing across the world to keep passengers safe and to look to the many countries
across Europe where real progress is being made. We believe there is a strong case
to expand the Green list in line with the latest scientific data, and recognise the status
of vaccinated travellers with reduced testing and quarantine requirements,
particularly for arrivals from Amber list countries. This would boost the industry’s
recovery and allow passengers to book their summer getaways with confidence.”
David Evans, Joint CEO, Collinson said:
“In the UK, we’re lucky to have one of the most successful vaccine rollouts in the world,
but we still have some of the most stringent testing and quarantining regimes when it
comes to travelling at this time.”
“When we launched our first testing facility in the UK, nearly a year ago, the goal was
to get travel safely moving again, while giving passengers convenient access to the
testing solutions they’d need to fly without needing to face lengthy quarantines after.
That is still very much our goal today. This testing centre’s convenient onsite location
next to London City’s terminal means that passengers can enjoy fast transit and safe
and speedy journeys from London’s most central airport, whether travelling on the
day or – as we’d recommend – pre-planning in advance.”
Passengers flying back from ‘Amber’ countries, which now include Portugal, also have
to meet a pre-departure testing requirement to fly back into the UK. Customers can
order their test kit and book their appointment a minimum of three full working days
prior to their UK departure. Up to 72 hours before their return flight, customers complete
their test via video consultation with a medical practitioner, who will verify the result
and issue relevant certification via email, all in line with the current UK Government
requirements for UK arrivals.
In addition to the expanded testing facility, London City’s health measures were
recently approved as COVID-secure by the CAA and PHE in line with the ICAO’s
CART guidelines on safely restarting international travel. The airport was also
awarded with the ACI’s Global Health Accreditation Standard in October 2020.
Test prices start from £33 for a Lateral Flow Antigen and £66 for PCR tests. Same-day
result LAMP tests are available for £68. All tests can be booked at:
https://www.londoncityairport.com/test
Images of the airport’s new Testing Facility are available here:
https://media.londoncityairport.com/testing-centre/
- Please note that the Government stipulates that the day of arrival is regarded as
Day 0.
ENDS
About London City Airport
London City Airport (LCY) is a major international airport located in the Royal Docks
in East London, offering passengers safe and speedy journeys to and from the heart
of the UK’s capital city.
Destinations currently served by the airport include Edinburgh, Belfast City, Glasgow,
Dundee, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf, Vilnius, Luxembourg, Faro, Palma, and
Gibraltar. New routes start to Jersey and Guernsey from 25 June, and the airport
expects to resume flights to summer leisure destinations including Florence, Ibiza,
Malaga, Mykonos, Nice, Santorini and Skiathos in July.
London City Airport was recently recognised as one of the best airports in Europe for
customer experience in the 2020 Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Awards.
About Collinson
Collinson is a global leader in the provision of traveller experiences including medical
and security assistance and travel medical services. Its travel medical and security
assistance business unit has more than 55 years’ experience in the delivery of
international medical assistance and emergency care, including the handling of
pandemics such as Ebola, Zika and the coronavirus. Last year alone, Collinson
responded to over 95,000 emergency calls, managed over 40,000 medical cases and
conducted over 3,000 aero-medical evacuations across the 170 countries it
serves.
Collinson has over 2,000 employees operating out of 17 locations globally, all working
to deliver a broad range of traveller experiences that ensure the safety, welfare and
comfort of 55 million people as they travel for business and leisure around the world.
Collinson’s traveller experiences include the world’s leading airport lounge and
experiences programme, Priority Pass, as well as travel insurance, identity assistance,
flight delay, international health and travel risk management solutions. We work with
clients including: American Express, Cathay Pacific, CBA, Mastercard, UnionPay and
Visa.
For media enquiries, please contact:
London City Airport
David Leach
Head of Corporate Affairs
David.Leach@londoncityairport.com
+44 (0) 7701 388093
Collinson
Charlie Miller (UK)
cmiller@golin.com
+44 (0) 7478 845445
