COVID testing at airports: What are Rapid PCR tests and why is there a vast discrepancy in prices charged at different airports?

Rapid RT-PCR tests at airports: The coronavirus pandemic has made it a routine for passengers to get tested at airports. However, India’s airports range from state-run to privately managed and with this comes variety in the costs of the Rapid RT-PCR tests being conducted at such airports. Most of the major international airports, however, are managed by private entities, translating to international arrivals having to shell out more for the test, according to a report in IE. The Rapid PCR test at the Kozhikode airport in Kerala, for instance, costs travellers Rs 1,580. On the other hand, Hyderabad and Mumbai airports are charging nearly 2.5 times that – Rs 3,900. What’s more is that in Hyderabad and Mumbai, the state governments had to intervene to reduce the cost from earlier Rs 4,500, citing overpricing. For those who might not know, while a normal RT-PCR test takes up to 8-10 hours to show results, a Rapid PCR test shows the results in 1-2 hours. RT-PCR tests at airports: The coronavirus pandemic has made it a routine for passengers to get tested at airports. However, India’s airports range from state-run to privately managed and with this comes variety in the costs of the Rapid RT-PCR tests being conducted at such airports. Most of the major international airports, however, are managed by private entities, translating to international arrivals having to shell out more for the test, according to a report in IE. The Rapid PCR test at the Kozhikode airport in Kerala, for instance, costs travellers Rs 1,580. On the other hand, Hyderabad and Mumbai airports are charging nearly 2.5 times that – Rs 3,900. What’s more is that in Hyderabad and Mumbai, the state governments had to intervene to reduce the cost from earlier Rs 4,500, citing overpricing. For those who might not know, while a normal RT-PCR test takes up to 8-10 hours to show results, a Rapid PCR test shows the results in 1-2 hours.