In a recent press release, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) enjoined world governments to encourage the use of cost-effective antigen tests while limiting the use of PCR tests, as the latter are more expensive.
According to Willie Walsh, the Director General of IATA, inasmuch as the Association wants to work with governments to fully restart aviation, its support is not unconditional; especially not when governments implement counter-productive measures such as placing on passengers the burden of bearing the cost for mandatory COVID-19 testing. IATA would rather governments pay for said testing.
Alternatively, it would help governments minimize cost if they encourage more cost-effective tests such as the Ag-RDT antigen test, which sources say costs less than $10 per test. This will go a long way to boost travel, especially as data gotten from some countries like the UK reveals that international travelers pose minimal risk of importing COVID-19.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ag-RDT antigen test is an acceptable alternative to PCR (when it is followed by a confirmatory rRT-PCR test in the case of those with a history of COVID-19).
“Data from the UK government confirms that international travelers pose little to no risk of importing COVID-19 compared to existing levels of infection in the country. At the very least therefore, the UK government should follow WHO guidance and accept antigen tests which are fast, affordable and effective, with a confirmatory PCR test for those who test positive. This could be a pathway for enabling even unvaccinated people access to travel,” Walsh said
IATA also supports the WHO’s position that vaccinated passengers should be exempted from COVID-19 testing requirements – a strategy which is said to be effective, as testing should not be carried out indiscriminately but appropriately, according to the threat level.
“Our latest survey confirms that the high cost of testing will bear heavily on the shape of the travel recovery. It makes little sense for governments to take steps to reopen borders, if those steps make the cost of travel prohibitive to most people. We need a restart that is affordable for all,” said Walsh.
