Israel launches new check-in Covid test for flyers: A quick swab, boarding pass

Israel’s El Al airlines launched a pilot programme at its Tel Aviv airport check-in counters on Monday to test unvaccinated passengers for Covid-19 before allowing them to board a non-stop flight to New York.

Just before stepping up to the counters, 112 of the 280 passengers on flight 003 were required by El Al to undergo a nose swab – a rapid antigen test, with results within 15 to 20 minutes, that detects protein fragments specific to the coronavirus. All 112 passed the test.

Airlines have for months been lobbying governments for such measures to prevent people from having to go into quarantine on arrival.