One of the largest airlines in the world has started a trail on testing all passengers for Covid-19. Lufthansa have announced that passengers on flights between Munich and Hamburg can take a rapid Covid-19 test free-of-charge.

Passengers that don’t wish to take the rapid test must present a negative PCR test, no older than 48 hours, or they will be transferred to another flight free of charge.

This pilot project from Lufthansa could well be a sign of things to come for the aviation industry and if they prove successful could be introduced by other airlines. Tourists flying to Croatia for their summer holidays next year could well see such measures in place.

According to Lufthansa's CEO Carsten Spohr, the company has purchased 250,000 antigen tests to study the processes. The airline hopes that the rapid tests will enable it to offer more flight connections again, especially overseas. "Successful testing of entire flights can be the key to reviving international air traffic," said Board member Christina Foerster.

After a challenging 2020 which saw many airlines and travel agencies forced into bankruptcy such a test and indeed safe measure of travel should help raise confidence for travel in 2021.

In the Lufthansa Group, the rapid tests have already been tested on flights of the subsidiary Austrian airlines between Berlin and Vienna.