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26 May 2021
ADR: Covid-Tested flights already set up for all countries selected by the Italian Government at Fiumicino airport
By the summer, 12 intercontinental flights are expected to be operated with this experimental procedure from the United States, Canada, Japan and the United Arab Emirates

Interest in covid-tested flights is growing rapidly. The innovative safety protocol, launched by Aeroporti di Roma, the Italian Ministry of Health and the Lazio Region initially on a prototype basis with Alitalia on the Rome-Milan route since last September and then on an experimental basis with Alitalia and Delta on flights from New York and Atlanta since last December, has proved to have great potential. Following the Italian Ministry of Health's Order of 14 May, with which the Italian government decided to extend the perimeter to other Italian airports and international routes, new covid-tested corridors were immediately set up at Fiumicino airport by all the identified countries, and in a few days, the carriers will start operations on the new permitted destinations.

As shown in the experimental phase, the double covid test on 100% of passengers carried out 48 hours before departure and immediately after arriving at their destination radically reduces the risk of imported infection. The protocol therefore makes it possible to avoid the 10-day quarantine period in Italy and also allows tourists (the only exception to the general ban on tourist arrivals from non-European countries) to arrive in Italy, also to the benefit of the national tourist industry as early as the next summer season.

In addition to the 12 weekly covid-tested flights currently in operation for New York and Atlanta by Alitalia and Delta Air Lines, at the beginning of the month, additional flights were added by American Airlines and United to New York. Then, as of 22nd May, the covid-tested protocol was implemented on American Airlines' Dallas-Rome Fiumicino flight. It is also expected that this travel procedure will soon be adopted on Emirates flights from Dubai and Etihad from Abu Dhabi, as well as new direct Alitalia flights from Tokyo Haneda and Air Canada flights from Toronto and Montreal, and in August Delta's connection from Boston. As a result of these developments, there will be 12 covid-tested intercontinental flight connections, 9 of which are from the United States and Canada, strategic markets for the connectivity of Rome and the entire country, that in 2019 had reached the record level of 3.8 million seats offered with a growth of 9% compared to 2018.