Rome, 04 December 2020 - Alitalia and Aeroporti di Roma have announced that, starting from  Tuesday, December 8, 2020, all passengers travelling on one of the three weekly flights to and from New York must present a certification proving that they have tested negative for Covid-19 within 48 hours before the flight; alternatively, the antigen test can be taken directly at the airport before boarding.  For those departing from the United States, a further antigen test will be required upon arrival at Fiumicino airport: this double check will exempt passengers from needing to quarantine upon entering Italy.
 
Passengers travelling on Covid-tested flights will still be required to wear a protective face mask at all times and to carry with them an adequate number of replacements for the duration of the flight, so that the mask can be replaced every 4 hours. Additionally, prior to boarding, a self-certification attesting that there have been no close contact with people affected by Covid-19 is required. 
 
These actions are a response to the needs of passengers who, in a recent market survey, expressed growing interest in adopting the above measures as flight hours increased. 
The purpose of this experimental phase is to evaluate the effectiveness and functionality of the new travel method, with the aim of making it more widely available in view of the 2021 Summer season. 
 
The new travel protocol is disciplined by the order issued on  November 23, 2020 by the Italian Minister of Health, in agreement with the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.  The government measure will be in force, subject to extensions, until 15 February 2021. The restrictions on entry into the United States laid down by the US Administration shall remain applicable.

As Alitalia and Aeroporti di Roma anticipated, partly thanks to the rapid testing facilities already operating at Fiumicino airport with the support of Regione Lazio, the Covid-tested flight option on two daily Rome-Milan flights, successfully launched on September 16, will be extended: this  confirms the commitment – right from the very first phases of the pandemic – to implement measures to prevent and protect the health of passengers and operators. 

All Alitalia aircrafts are sanitised daily with products that have high antibacterial power and, thanks to HEPA filters and vertical circulation, the air on board is renewed every three minutes and it is 99.7% pure, just as in a sterile room – confirming that air transport remains the safest mode of transport.  In addition, Leonardo da Vinci International Airport is at the forefront for high security standards and it is considered as one of the safest airports in the world, as certified by the achievement of Skytrax’s maximum rating of 5 starts on anti-Covid health protocols, the ACI Airport Health Accreditation and the ACI Europe’s Best Airport Award – just obtained by Fiumicino for the third consecutive year – precisely because of its virus containment measures.