'Fit to fly' drive-through Covid tests opening at Birmingham Airport
A Covid-19 drive-through testing service is being launched at Birmingham Airport.
The site offers a 'fit to fly' service that passengers will be able to use from Saturday.
The drive-through has eight lanes, a testing capacity of 8,064 a week and is being targeted at members of the public who are asymptomatic and so do not qualify for NHS emergency testing but require a negative result either to visit family members, or to fly abroad.
The PCR tests on offer are priced at £80 per person for travel passengers and £99 per person for the test-only service.
Since the resumption of international leisure travel on May 17, the airport has seen an increase in passenger numbers with airlines restarting several new flights to Portugal, Madeira and Greece.
The drive-through facility is being operated by Cignpost ExpressTest, who also opened a walk-in site at the airport in January, and is opening nine other sites across the UK before the end of June.
Christian Corney, chief executive of Cignpost ExpressTest, said: “We have seen increasing desire for testing since international travel resumed in England and expect to see increased demand in the coming days and weeks. Our new drive through centre at Birmingham Airport builds upon a strong pre-existing partnership and will be a great addition to our nationwide services.
"We are proud to bring Covid-19 screening services to the local community, and whether for personal or business travel, we remain committed to delivering the best possible service at an affordable price.”
Al Titterington, terminal operations director of Birmingham Airport said: “We are pleased to have developed and expanded the fit to fly testing service here at the Airport. Following the success of Cignpost, which opened in January within the terminal building, this new drive through service ensures our customers can book tests with even more ease and convenience.
“Here at Birmingham we are continually putting our customers first by ensuring that as the travel restrictions change we have the right facilities in place to assist our customers and guarantee they are fully prepared for their trip."
