Gatwick Covid-19 testing centre opens after booking problems
Some found themselves unable to book a check online
Last updated 30th Nov 2020
A new coronavirus testing centre at Gatwick Airport is to open on Monday (November 30th), after users reported problems booking appointments there over the weekend.
The facility has been set up in the long stay car park at the West Sussex airport's South Terminal and will offer to checks to members of staff, passengers and members of the public.
It'll cost £60 for passengers and airport staff to get a test, with the general public being asked to pay £99.
But the operators of the site, ExpressTestUK, have been forced to apologise to those who were unable to get through to the website needed to book a slot, after it crashed shortly after launching on Friday.
Many of those who tried to get through and failed took to social media to register their frustration.
An ExpressTest spokesperson said:
"We would like to apologise to those customers who have not been able to make a booking today Saturday or yesterday due to the high volumes were we currently experiencing to our website and call centre."
The facility is for air passengers who may require a valid, negative COVID-19 test certificate for destinations requiring one from up to 96 hours before travel.
Passengers would need to check with travel providers that the test meets the specific requirements destinations ask for.
It will also help those who may simply want extra assurance that they are not currently carrying the virus.
The facility could also, with any necessary amendments, satisfy requirements of the Government’s expected “test and release” post arrival scheme allowing air passengers to reduce quarantine time required after travelling back from certain destinations.
Anyone with recognisable COVID-19 symptoms will still need to use an NHS testing facility.
Stewart Wingate, the Chief Executive Officer of Gatwick Airport, said:
“Reducing the spread of COVID-19 is a priority for us alongside giving confidence to so many people who have missed travelling during this difficult year.
"Our new screening facility is also a convenient service to offer people in the region looking for extra reassurance.
"We are pleased to be subsidising the price for our passengers and any staff based at Gatwick so they are compliant with current destination requirements that many of airlines including easyJet, British Airways and TUI fly to.
"Our industry has been decimated by the pandemic and, while we welcome the anticipated “test and release” scheme from the Government, we want to see an internationally agreed pre-departure testing regime, based on existing risk criteria, to replace the current uncertainty of quarantine and patchwork of testing approaches which currently exists across Europe.
"A truly international approach would safely open up most of the UK’s travel routes abroad, while also helping to reduce transmission of the virus."