5 Indian Airports That Offer Covid-19 Testing For All Incoming Passengers

by Suchismita Pal
5 Indian Airports That Offer Covid-19 Testing For All Incoming Passengers

We’ve already told you about the dos and don’ts to keep in mind if you need to carry a COVID negative certificate while travelling. In case it is mandatory for you to take a virus test for travelling, don’t forget to include the cost of the test in your overall travel budget. Domestic travel has already opened up and many states have made it compulsory for incoming travellers, especially from the places with a higher number of virus cases, to carry negative certificates. Here are a few Indian airports that are offering coronavirus testing facilities to all the arriving travellers:

1. Delhi

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport launched India’s first coronavirus airport testing facility on September 11. Both domestic and international passengers can get themselves tested at this facility. You can get the COVID test done by paying ₹2,400. The results will be out in 4 to 6 hours. People can arrive at the Terminal-3 of the airport for the test facility which offers a walk-in-option.

Indian Airports Covid-19 Testing
Picture Credits: Times NIE

2.  Mumbai

If you have just landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, you can skip the mandatory home quarantine by taking an RT-PCR test. Both domestic and international passengers can take the test. The testing facility is available near the exit gate and the standard cost of the test is ₹3,900 per person. The test results typically take around eight hours to arrive. Mumbai airport has also been providing food and free Wi-Fi for travellers waiting for COVID-19 test results. Maharashtra has mandated negative COVID certificates for people coming from Delhi, Goa, Gujarat and Rajasthan.

3. Bangalore

All international travellers arriving at Bangalore airport will be screened for symptoms. Since May, Karnataka has been conducting pool testing in the airports and railway stations. The cost per test at the airport will be ₹700 for rapid antigen test and ₹1200 for RT-PCR test, as reported by Wego. The RT-PCR test results take around six hours to a day to arrive.

Indian Airports Covid-19 Testing
Picture Credits: Deccan Chronicle

Also Read: Bangalore Airport’s New Social Distancing Rules

4. Guwahati

Initially, passengers arriving at Guwahati had to go to the COVID centre at Sarusajai to get their tests done. But from November, the city is allowing the collection of samples at the airport itself upon arrival. According to a TOI report, health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said, “Covid-19 test for incoming flight passengers will be done in Guwahati Airport itself instead of Xarusajai”. According to a Hindustan Times report, regarding the test, Sarma had stated in September, “If a passenger pays ₹2,200 for RT-PCR test, the result will be given within 24 hours and if it comes negative, they don’t have to spend any more time in quarantine. For those who don’t pay the amount, the RT-PCR test results will be given to them within 5 days, during which period, they will have to stay in home quarantine.”

Indian Airports Covid-19 Testing
Picture Credits: TOI

5. Hyderabad

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad launched an express COVID-19 facility in partnership with an ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) and NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) certified lab, Mapmygenome. The Mapmygenome test facility is operational 24*7 and it gives results within 3 to 4 hours. Both domestic and international passengers can avail the tests.

Also Read: From Cancelled Flights To Lost Baggage, Here’s How To Claim Refunds From Airlines

Meanwhile, Kolkata airport has also conducted COVID-19 tests of some passengers arriving in the city from abroad.  Also, here are the new air travel guidelines for Indian passengers in the wake of the pandemic: