According to a media report, the airline EL AL is testing passengers on a scheduled flight from New York to Tel Aviv for the corona virus on board.

The passengers are said to have completed the mandatory tests on arrival at Ben Gurion Airport before landing, so that they no longer have to queue for them at the airport. The long queues in the airport building are considered a possible place of spread of the coronavirus. The voluntary pilot test will be completed on an EL-AL flight on Thursday from New York's JFK Airport to Tel Aviv with around 280 passengers. These are tested either at the boarding gate or on the plane. 

For this purpose, swabs are taken from the mouth and throat. A test is said to cost $ 25. EL AL emphasizes that the new test procedure does not replace the corona test that has to be completed 72 hours before the flight. The airline nevertheless sees the new procedure as a possible “breakthrough for the future entry of tourists to Israel”. First of all, however, the quarantine rules for travelers with an Israeli passport will come into force on August 11th: If they are coming from Germany, the USA and Greece, among others, whether vaccinated or recovered, they must be in quarantine for at least one week after arrival .