EL AL Israel Airlines and Femi, a healthcare and tele-health company, have launched a trial program to test EL AL passengers prior to – and during – flights to Israel. Currently, all passengers landing in Israel are required to take a COVID-19 test upon arrival. This program will eliminate that need and allow the passengers to leave Ben Gurion as quickly and easily as pre-Covid times.
The trial flight will take place on August 5th on flight LY004 from New York’s JFK to Tel Aviv. The pre-flight testing will take place at XpresSpa, working in cooperation with JFK Airport and Femi. Femi provides the service at Ben Gurion Airport under the supervision of the Israel Ministry of Health. Passengers that could not be tested before take-off will have the opportunity to be swabbed in-flight.
Avigal Soreq, CEO of EL AL, commented, “This trial is designed to make it easier for our customers to travel to Israel and ease the testing process. EL AL is working within a ‘living alongside corona’ mindset, understanding that the virus will not simply disappear, but will need to be managed for everyone’s safety while continuing to live our lives. EL AL is committed to developing solutions that will enable Israel to open up to foreign tourists, who are critical to the economy.”
Femi’s CEO, Atel Molcho, said, “Femi is proud to be the first company to perform in-flight Covid testing. We are pleased to be part of this national project, and to mobilize Femi’s rich experience and professionalism to provide EL AL’s passengers with this unique, new service.”
Soreq of EL AL further stated, “We call on regulators to examine these trials and adopt similar solutions so that we can reopen the Israel tourism industry in a safe manner.”
The August 5th JFK to Tel Aviv flight, departing at 2PM New York time, is expected to have approximately 280 passengers.
If this trial is successful, it will be a breakthrough opportunity to allow tourists to enter Israel. In the short term, the in-flight testing will assist the Airports Authority in regulating the number of passengers waiting for testing.
An important note, this testing is not a substitute, but is in addition to the PCR test that must be performed up to 72 hours prior to the flight.
The pre-flight (or in-flight) test will cost 80NIS, the same fee as one pays at the airport in Israel and the results will be received a few hours after arrival in Israel.
Why do people let this happen all over the world
The pandemic is over this is pure money hungry government that wants to control peoples lives its insane here isreal all over i cant belive no one is standing up to fight against this insanity who wouldve thought we would be here
Rebbe we need you now we want and newd moshiach now
240,000 plus people have died from COVID in the last month worldwide.
Head meet sand.
Where is your data from? Cdc???? Have you not read articles about their misinformation…noone is saying corona didnt exist and there wasn’t a tremendous loss of life…but you gotta be a bit open minded to differentiate between reality and government induced fears and craziness
Liberalism at its best. Slow clap here.
I don’t understand
Israel is making it easier to travel
All they’re asking in a COVID test
That’s what we’ve being doing all this time in Canada. Give it up, just cuz you live in crown heights and no one respects anything COVID related there doesn’t mean that COVID doesn’t exist. It’s still a part of life and it’s kind of insensitive to say that to people who have lost loved ones because of it, some ahavas chinam plzzz!
It would be better if Israel would stop making every country a red country and stop banning travellers for politics, money and greed!