While the introduction of corona rapid tests is still being tested or discussed in Vienna and at other European airports and, for example, German politicians are clearly against it, the New York airports Newark and John F. Kennedy are making them mandatory.

The test stations are operated by a private company and are expected to deliver results within 15 minutes. There is close cooperation with the local health authority, reports the portal Travel topia. In general, rapid tests should be rolled out nationwide before each departure in the USA. Only those whose test result is negative are allowed to fly. For example, United Airlines is testing such a procedure on the San Francisco-Honolulu route. 

The ambitions of the airlines and airports are clear: Mandatory quick tests before departure should replace entry bans and compulsory quarantine. According to industry representatives, this should ensure the survival of the aviation industry, but also of tourism. However, there is still a lack of official approvals, because a negative rapid test result is currently not yet recognized as a substitute for a negative PCR result. The respective governments would still have to create the conditions for this, although their positions on this are very different. Austria, for example, is open, in Germany leading politicians speak out clearly against rapid tests for travelers and point out that the test capacities would be needed for hospitals and old people's homes.

Nevertheless, the pressure from the industry is extremely high and both airlines and airports are working around the world on procedures that should be made palatable to governments as a replacement for the previous regulations. In view of the fact that the financial needs of airlines, but also of the entire travel industry, will increase drastically and that many airlines will soon have to apply for state aid again, something that one or the other government will think about seriously. At the EU level, at least a uniform procedure within the Schengen area is being discussed, but no date for a possible introduction is foreseeable. However, the aviation and travel industry is hoping this will be done as soon as possible.

In any case, New York Airports Newark and John F. Kennedy hope that the new rapid tests that travelers have to complete before departure will allow air traffic to start properly again. For the time being, this will probably focus on domestic traffic, as there is still some political catching up to do with regard to the international recognition of rapid test results. But the hope is simple: travelers could feel much safer through tests and the promise that only people whose results are negative are allowed to fly with them. Subsequently, it is hoped that the entry and quarantine regulations could gradually fall.