ETHIOPIA – MAKING COVID19 TESTS EASY AND AFFORDABLE
(Posted 03rd October 2020)
Ethiopian Airlines own airport hotel, just minutes from the terminals at Bole International Airport, has now launched an additional offer to facilitate the mandatory COVID19 testing for passengers departing from Addis Ababa to their next destination.
At US Dollars 60 can guests leaving or transit passengers to other parts of Africa get a timely test done at the hotel, with results available within hours.
Given the journey times and the time needed in many countries to get a COVID test done before departure, can travelers find themselves time barred as their 48, 72 or 96 hour limit of a test result – IATA has called for a uniform time frame across the world to avoid confusion and sanctions on passengers as many countries continue to set unilateral time requirements – can see a certificate validity expire before arrival at their final destination.
Unlike other countries, in Africa and beyond, where such services are hard to come by – in Uganda for instance have health authorities declined to establish a rapid testing centre at the airport – is both location and the cost in Ethiopia noteworthy, being among the lowest fees mentioned from across the world.
https://atcnews.org/2020/09/26/ugandan-travelers-in-for-a-cost-shock-when-borders-reopen/
In Uganda can the cost of a single test set someone back as much as 125+ US Dollars while at the lower end of the scale the cost still is over 80 US Dollars (with an up to 48 hour waiting period for results), besides add on expenses to twice travel to and from the lab for first the test and then to collect test results.
In Ethiopia therefore is a clear strategy at work to make such incidental expenses along a journey via Addis Ababa available and affordable, enticing travelers to use Ethiopian Airlines for their flights to and from Africa and by doing so increasing load factors on their aircraft, raise the occupancy at their own airport hotel and building Brand Ethiopia at the same time.
