Announcement: Cignpost ExpressTest expands COVID-19 testing facilities at Heathrow and cuts prices for passengers
Cignpost ExpressTest expands COVID-19 testing facilities at Heathrow and cuts prices for passengers
Cignpost ExpressTest set to become the main testing provider at Heathrow and expand their operations at the hub airport
The agreement also reduces the cost of testing for Heathrow passengers, with gold-standard PCR tests costing from £59
800 new jobs are expected to be generated to be able to handle the increase in passengers who need to be tested
MAY 2021 – The UK’s largest airport has today announced it has selected Cignpost ExpressTest as its new COVID-19 testing provider. The agreement will see Cignpost ExpressTest offer gold-standard COVID-19 testing to arriving and departing passengers at Heathrow Airport.
Passengers arriving at Heathrow from green list countries, will have the option to take their tests on arrival, to comply with the Government’s day 2 or earlier testing requirements. The airport’s passengers will also have the choice to make use of Cignpost ExpressTest’s regional sites across the country for both departure and arrivals testing, at the same reduced price, offering a number of convenient alternatives to the sites located at the airport. The service will provide all passengers with their PCR test results by 10 pm the following day.
The new arrangements are set to begin on 20th May, shortly after the restart of international travel, with testing facilities gradually being rolled out across all terminals and a number of the airport’s car parks. The airport-wide rollout is on track to be completed by August, when Cignpost ExpressTest will become the airport’s main testing provider.
The announcement builds upon an initial agreement between Heathrow and Cignpost ExpressTest which has been running successfully at the airport since December 2020.
Cignpost ExpressTest recently announced a major expansion, adding 10 new test centres to their offering, located across England, Scotland and Wales. The additional coverage ensures that 80% of the UK population are within a 1-hour drive of an ExpressTest site.
The market-leading testing provider offers gold-standard fit to fly COVID-19 tests from £59, and Lateral Flow Tests from £35. Alongside this, ExpressTest is also a selected provider to British Airways.
The agreement between Heathrow and Cignpost ExpressTest is expected to generate 800 jobs, with Cignpost working to recruit those made redundant throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.
“ We are incredibly proud to have been selected as the main testing provider to one of the world’s busiest airports. As lockdown restrictions ease to allow international travel to resume, everyone travelling abroad will want to know they can get an affordable test with the results delivered back to them within 24 hours. That is exactly what ExpressTest’s COVID-19 testing package with Heathrow Airport delivers.”
“The return of international travel is crucial not just for the economic wellbeing of the industry, but the wider economy. Cignpost Diagnostics’ partnership with Heathrow Airport, will allow travellers to be 100% confident in the accuracy of our gold-standard COVID-19 tests and ensure that the return of travel is both safe and accessible to all.”
“We’re looking forward to working closely with Cignpost ExpressTest. This new agreement will help to keep testing costs competitive for our passengers, which is vital for a safe and meaningful restart. Over the past year, we’ve seen tremendous progress made on testing and we will be working with Cignpost ExpressTest to build on this, by putting in place integrated and innovative solutions that keep our passengers and colleagues safe, in preparation for more countries being added to the green list.”
Tests must be pre-booked from the Cignpost ExpressTest website, which can be accessed via Heathrow.com, and notification of test results are guaranteed by 10pm the following day. In total, Cignpost are opening in 6 Heathrow testing locations, at Terminal 2 Departures, Terminal 5 Departures, Terminal 3 Departures, Terminal 4 Long Stay Car Park, Terminal 2 Arrivals, Terminal 5 Arrivals.
Once launched, the following tests will be available at each site:
Terminal 2 Departures: PCR Fit to Fly, Lateral Flow Fit to Fly
Terminal 5 Departures: PCR Fit to Fly, Lateral Flow Fit to Fly
Terminal 4 Park and Test: PCR Fit to Fly, Lateral Flow Fit to Fly, All Arrivals packages, Test to Release.
Monthly testing capacity will exceed 400,000 once the partnership is fully rolled out.
Cignpost ExpressTest is a part of Cignpost Diagnostics and is the UK’s largest COVID test provider for consumers, particularly in the travel sector, with testing centres across the country. The company’s existing 14 sites are located at Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, Birmingham Airport Edinburgh Airport, Burnley, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds Headingley, London Brent Cross, Northampton, Reading and Southampton. Details of the company’s services can be found at www.cignpostdiagnostics.com and www.expresstest.co.uk.
The company has quickly evolved into a global leader in diagnostics, providing services across the world including the Middle East, Europe and North America. Today, the team offer services beyond testing, providing strategic consultancy on business continuity and customised end-to-end solutions to meet client needs. Cignpost delivers gold standard PCR test results in as little as 90 minutes through its network of mobile labs to establish safe managed environments, enabling businesses to get back to work and people to travel safely.
For media enquiries please contact: cignpost@thephagroup.com