British Airways to introduce coronavirus tests on select flights

British Airways has announced it will be introducing coronavirus tests on some transatlantic flights in an attempt to persuade the British government to forgo further lockdown measures.

It will be undertaking this task alongside its US counterpart American Airlines later this month for select flights to Dallas, London and Los Angeles.

Coronavirus has ravaged the aviation and transport industries as lockdown restriction have halted demand for travel.

Appeals to officials at the European Commission have been in action since September to open up travel again before companies go under due to lack of trade.

The UK is set to halve the post-travel isolation period once the latest lockdown ends in December.

BA has campaigned for quarantine restrictions to end entirely to get travel figures back up and running to their pre-pandemic levels.

The companies will offer the chance to take three separate coronavirus tests for the journey: one three days before the journey, one upon disembarking at Heathrow, and another three days after arrival.

They hope this will prove to government officials the test method is a viable alternative to self-isolation.

"The flights would help demonstrate the ability to fly safely and to fly without the need to quarantine," British Airways CEO Sean Doyle said in a statement.

He added: “The vaccine is great news and we are encouraged by that. But the details of when it is rolled out, to what scale and when it will have a material effect on travel is unclear."

While fruitful to encourage travel it is unknown whether or not removing quarantine restrictions and replacing them with testing would encourage people to travel at pre-pandemic levels.

At best, it could be fruitful to wait until a vaccine is readily available owing to fears that potential consumers may be cautious not to catch the virus regardless.

Similarly, it will take significant time for travel levels to reach pre-pandemic levels and for companies to bring in revenue at similar rates.

Back in June, the French government announced a €15 billion bailout package for the aviation sector to help it deal with the effects of the pandemic.

Reduced air travel has been a leading cause in the prices of traditional fossil fuels plummeting during the pandemic while more renewable energy sources continue to thrive.

Prices are forecast to recover soon but the damage may have already been done.

The UK aviation industry has already set climate goals for complete carbon-neutrality by 2050 and cutting emissions is central to this goal.

Furthermore, companies such as Airbus have unveiled new aircraft models that cut fossil fuels out of their operations entirely, as a part of a global shift towards renewable energy.

The test BA is championing is one of several the industry has been running to prevent further lockdown restrictions from occurring.

United Airlines began testing customers as soon as they touched down in Heathrow this week.

They stated the tests are a good proof of concept for companies considering making mandatory testing an intrinsic part of the travel sector going forwards.

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