Manchester Airport Group expands testing facilities
Plans to treble the number of testing sites at its airports ahead of the restart of international travel to support increasing demand
Manchester Airports Group (MAG) – the owner of Manchester, East Midlands, and London Stansted airports – also confirmed Randox will join existing partner Collinson to operate the sites, which will be a combination of walk-through and drive-through testing centres.
Together, they will operate 11 sites across MAG’s three airports, offering passengers a range of tests for arrival and departure, including packages for amber and green list countries, plus Test to Release, which unlocks passengers from quarantine.
Both providers will offer unique tests, including Randox’s 1-3-hour PCR test and Collinson’s same day Test to Release offering. Currently PCR tests can take up to 48 hours, meaning passengers must come to the airport significantly ahead of their trip. However, with Randox’s PCR test, which provides results in one to three hours, travellers can do the test on the day of travel.
Getting results back on the same day
Collinson’s same-day Test to Release process uses a rapid LAMP test, meaning that passengers can get their results back on the same day and release from quarantine on day five with a negative result. Other providers use PCR, meaning it can take up to six or seven days to get a result. Besides these tests, Randox and Collinson will provide more than a dozen tests and options available across MAG’s airports.
Brad Miller, Managing Director of MAGO, said: “Our partnership with Collinson has proved to be successful since launching in December and we are delighted to be welcoming Randox on board.”
David Evans, Joint CEO of Collinson, added: "The new spacious facilities will enable more travellers to be tested in a safe and comfortable environment, ensuring that departures and arrivals can happen as conveniently as possible.”
Recently, Collinson renewed its partnership with easyJet until at least April 2024, providing travellers with a range of relevant and dynamic insurance options, including dedicated Covid-19 cover for all domestic travel.