Emirates passengers undergo coronavirus blood tests before boarding

Emirates has carried out blood tests on passengers to assess whether they are affected by coronavirus, ahead of a service to Tunisia. The airline is claiming that it is the first operator to perform rapid tests for the disease on passengers prior to departure. Emirates has not specified the flight involved in the April 15 process but a Boeing 777-300ER operated on the Dubai-Tunis route on this date. The airline says the “quick” blood test – carried out at the check-in zone of Terminal 3 in co-operation with Dubai Health Authority – returns results inside 10min. Emirates COO Adel Al Redha says the “innovative” testing programme went “smoothly”. The airline has not indicated whether any passengers tested positive for coronavirus. “We are working on plans to scale up testing capabilities in the future and extend it to other flights,” says Al Redha.<br/>