On Friday, Vienna Airport and Austrian Airlines started the corona rapid tests announced a few days ago. The passengers on the midday flight could take part voluntarily and free of charge. Passengers on selected AUA flights can participate in the test phase, which has now started. There is no obligation to do so.

The airport and the Austrian Lufthansa subsidiary point out particularly clearly that a negative rapid test result is currently not a “substitute” for a negative PCR result, which in many countries has to be presented upon entry. In this regard, it is the turn of politicians, which still have to draw up approvals, regulations and agreements. Within the European Union, an agreement at EU level would be extremely helpful. But it will take some time, as the debate is still in its infancy.

As soon as the authorities give the green light, passengers from other airlines can also take advantage of the rapid test. No comment has yet been made on the possible costs, as there is still a political discussion in this context, both in Austria and at EU level. However, the unit costs are considerably lower than with the classic PCR test.

“The plane is already the safest form of public transport. Nevertheless, we want to go one step further with this test project and make air travel even safer, ”said Austrian COO Jens Ritter, explaining the aim of the project.

Many passengers may be concerned with the question of what happens if the quick test before departure gives a positive result? Austrian Airlines, as a pilot partner of the new procedure, stated that any costs for rebooking to a later connection will be borne by the airline. The passengers should not incur any costs, which is a very accommodating promise by the carrier, because there is absolutely no legal obligation to do so. The further steps are then initiated by the test station, because the legislature requires that the responsible health authority, in this case the district authority of Bruck an der Leitha, be informed and that this then decides on how to proceed. As a rule, this will be the arrangement of a PCR test to verify the rapid test.

Policy is delivered "turnkey solution"

Vienna Airport explained that the test road including medical staff is being made available and that it will also prove to decision-makers in domestic and European politics that the rapid tests are a very well-suited method to enable both safe travel and freedom of movement. This is exactly what numerous other airports in Europe are doing and want to offer politicians a “turnkey solution” that only needs to be approved and defined at EU level or bilaterally. The hope is clear: Abolition of the entry and quarantine regulations, because only those who are negative in the quick test are allowed to fly. If the test is positive, it is verified first.

Those responsible clearly admit that the PCR test is more accurate and also detects cases with the smallest degree of infection. The quick test, on the other hand, is also ideally suited to find asymptomatic "super spreaders" and prevent further infections. In this respect, the rapid tests make an important contribution to literally removing people who could be highly contagious, but who have no symptoms at all and are not aware of the infection, and thus both prevent further spread and protect other people. This is exactly what is part of the new test strategy that various EU states, including Austria, are now increasingly using.

The aviation industry is pushing for the rapid test method, because the result is fixed within ten to 15 minutes. The travelers would therefore only have to appear at the airport a little earlier, but would benefit - with political approval - from the fact that the travel and quarantine regulations are replaced by testing before departure without exception. The industry is also concerned that the availability of a vaccine and the subsequent vaccination coverage of the population could drag on for a long time. Therefore, an interim solution has to be found in the form of rapid tests.

We have to dismantle the borders that Corona has built up in recent months, ”emphasizes Austrian COO Ritter. “In the future, it is our goal to relax travel restrictions, but first of all we want to show how a targeted test program could work,” he explains. If the trial operation is well established, then one would like to offer the test offer on a larger scale. Flughafen Wien board member Julian Jäger adds: “The entire tourism and travel industry urgently needs future-proof solutions in order to get out of the crisis. Rapid antigen tests provide quick results and can be easily integrated into the operational process of a flight. A widespread use at airports and airlines within the framework of a Europe-wide uniform test regime could enable the freedom of travel for passengers, which is important for business and tourism ”.

How does such a "quick check" work before departure?

All boarding passes, except those that are issued manually with a ballpoint pen in the event of system failures (this is very rare), have a barcode. It does not matter whether this is obtained at the counter, PC, machine or via mobile phone. You use this to log in to the test station and also enter your mobile phone number in order to receive the result via SMS within ten to 15 minutes. It was expressly emphasized that this also works with foreign numbers. However, if you - for whatever reason - do not want to give your telephone number, you can find out or receive the result after ten to 15 minutes at the counter.

Then you enter the test area - including any luggage - and the medical staff asks you to cough three times. The mask can then be removed. A throat swab is now taken with a cotton swab, which is, however, far less uncomfortable than that of the “classic PCR tests” (unless the new gargle method is used).

The medical staff is now carrying out the test using specially purchased equipment. For the passenger, this means: wait ten to 15 minutes for the SMS or, if no number was given, pick up the result personally at the counter.

“The pilot project can be used to take a look into the near future and, above all, to demonstrate the feasibility of the necessary processes. This means that antigen tests can be used as soon as possible if they are of the appropriate quality, in terms of sensitivity and specificity. In this way we are taking a step towards the 'new normal' in order to stimulate our social life and the economy accordingly, ”said State Secretary Magnus Brunner.