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Monday 5 June 2023
- Covid testing clinic closing at Sydney Airport after 2½ years of operating
- More than 500,000 passengers were tested at Histopath clinic since December 2020
- Demand peaked in April 2022, when almost 60,000 passengers were swabbed
- At the peak more than 40 nurses, laboratory staff and liaisons worked at the clinic daily
- Highest positive results recorded in January 2022, when 5% of passengers tested positive to Covid
- Demand for testing is now very low, with the vast majority of countries ending Covid testing requirements for travel
Sydney Airport’s Covid testing clinic will swab its final passengers tomorrow, marking a new era in the aviation recovery.
Histopath Diagnostic Services first set up on-the-spot clinic at Sydney Airport in December 2020 at request of South Eastern Sydney Local Health District to test departing and arriving passengers.
As demand grew with negative tests mandated for travel, a dedicated testing facility was built in November 2021 across the road from departures at the T1 international terminal. This ensured travellers could have their test on the same day as their travel, right before checking in to their flight.
Since then, more than 500,000 passengers have been swabbed at the airport clinic, completing either a PCR or RAT test.
The strongest demand for testing was during the Easter school holiday rush last year, when almost 60,000 passengers were tested at the airport clinic in the month of April.
On the busiest days more than 2,500 people were swabbed and it took a team of over 40 nurses, laboratory staff and liaisons to keep up with demand.
However, over the last year, testing requirements have been phased out by the airlines and the vast majority of countries.
With China ending mandatory testing in April, the number of passengers requiring the clinic has fallen significantly, with just a handful of people coming through the doors some days.
Chief Operations Officer at Sydney Airport, Sidone Thomas, said: “The testing clinic played a vital role in bringing air travel back and we are grateful to Histopath for providing this essential service for last two and a half years.”
“With restrictions and testing requirements now all but gone, confidence in travel is strong again. Our T1 international terminal is humming with passenger numbers now edging closer to pre-pandemic levels.”
Director of Strategic Operations at Histopath Diagnostic Services, Greg Granger, said: “We began testing at Sydney Airport at a time when Australia’s border was closed and the federal government was heavily restricting travel.”
“No one was able to escape these strict rules – Royalty, Presidents and Prime Ministers from many nations, international sporting teams, and Hollywood superstars – all of them met with the same mandated requirements to enable them entry and were tested by our staff.
“At our peek we had over 40 nurses, laboratory staff and liaisons manned the clinic daily and I want to thank them for their dedicated service.
“We would also like to thank the passengers and airlines that have used our service and Sydney Airport for ensuring that the barriers to travel were addressed for the community.”