Kolkata: Covid test on arrival for UK flyers from next week

KOLKATA: From next week, passengers arriving from London in the direct Air India flight will not have to worry about Covid testing prior to boarding. A paid testing facility will be available at Kolkata airport from next Thursday, considerably reducing problems that passengers from the UK have been facing in getting pre-boarding tests done.
Tests in the UK are not just expensive, it is difficult to access and results take a long time to arrive.In the very first flight that operated from London to Kolkata, several passengers were not allowed to board as they had not got themselves tested prior to boarding.
The relaxation though applies only to the AI London flight. The carrier was hoping to start a service to Singapore once the testing facility commenced in Kolkata but that has been nixed by the revised SOP issued on Saturday. Only passengers from London will be allowed to undergo tests, either prior to boarding at Heathrow or on arrival in Kolkata.
Passengers will be required to get RT-PCR test done on payment basis from the designated testing facility at the airport. Passengers will have to hand over their passports on arrival that will be returned to them once the test results arrive.
“We will reserve an AC section where arriving passengers can wait for six-seven hours till the results arrive. There will be refreshment and washroom facility,” the airport director said.
While passengers who test negative will be allowed to proceed home, the rest will be sent either to a hospital or a safe house as per the doctor’s advice. The airline has been asked to provide in advance information on how many passengers will undergo tests on arrival so that the exact number of RT-PCR kits and testing facility are available on time.