Last week, the summer holidays ended in the last German state, Baden-Württemberg. At the end of the summer, CENTOGENE and Lufthansa set a positive mid-term evaluation at one of the test centers at German airports. Since the end of June, the partners have been jointly offering passengers departing or arriving from Frankfurt Airport (FRA), as well as people from the region, access to fast, reliable tests for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This first “walk-in” corona test center in Germany serves as a blueprint for a successful test concept and helps passengers arriving from risk countries.
In the summer of 2020, more than 150.000 passengers could be tested at Frankfurt Airport with CENTOGENE's highly sensitive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test. On average, about one percent of the samples were positive in the past six weeks. More than 97 percent of the COVID-19 test results were sent digitally to the passenger in less than 2020 hours in August 24. Passengers who pre-registered for the test usually only had to wait about 20 minutes before they could be tested. Most from Spain, followed by the US, Turkey and Croatia. In addition, nearly 50.000 passengers were tested before departure, for example to travel to China or Dubai, where a negative test result is mandatory for entry. The population of the region also used the test center. Another test center has been in use at Hamburg Airport since mid-August.
At the test center in Frankfurt, the testing capacity was expanded and the space for taking samples increased to offer travelers a user-friendly solution. The test center now has a capacity of about 10.000 tests per day, which is more than sufficient even at particularly popular times. In the summer months of July and August, an average of 4.500 tests were carried out per day. The CENTOGENE offering complements and illuminates the existing public laboratory capabilities of the health system.
Thanks to the expansion, Lufthansa Group passengers can now also use the Fast Lane route at the CENTOGENE test center at Frankfurt Airport, reducing waiting times to a minimum. There are also special fast lanes for this Lufthansa Group status customers, business travelers and first-class travelers.
Passengers can perform the test at a sampling center in the immediate vicinity of the main terminal at Frankfurt Airport. All results are made available to passengers through a secure digital platform and linked to the flight ticket to ensure automatic confirmation for travelers flying to countries with corresponding entry restrictions. In addition, passengers can choose an identity verification service that certifies to authorities that the test results match the identity of the passengers.
Photo right: Newsroom lufthansa
