A significant difference between the country’s large privately managed international airports and state-run airports in terms of the cost of rapid RT-PCR tests means that the bulk of international arrivals are expensive. COVID-19 testing.
For example, the cost of a rapid PCR test at Kozhikode airport is Rs 1,580, while the rates at Mumbai and Hyderabad airports are 2.5 times Rs 3,900. This is an indication of the margin at stake despite the fact that the latter two rates have been reduced by 13.3 per cent when state governments intervened citing overcharging.
Most airports have tied up with single vendors to offer these tests, but even airports like Mumbai, which have multiple vendors, have similar rates for tests. The rapid PCR test at Delhi airport costs Rs 3,500 while the normal RT-PCR test costs Rs 500.
The top four international airports – Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru – account for more than half of the international traffic coming into India. According to AAI data, 12.23 lakh passengers arrived at these four airports in October, out of the total 22.22 lakh international passengers who arrived in India that month. In comparison, Kozhikode saw 1.45 lakh passengers, Goa 9,565, Kolkata 34,076 and Chennai 1.57 lakh passengers.
One reason flagged for higher prices is the 30-35% revenue share being collected by airport operators for testing. However, the government-owned airport operators have decided to forego their revenue share.
In terms of omicron The Center has made RT-PCR test mandatory for all travelers coming from ‘at-risk’ countries, a type of COVID-19. These include European countries apart from South Africa, China etc.
A typical RT-PCR test for COVID-19 at Hyderabad airport – which takes a few hours for results – costs Rs 750 while the rapid PCR test which takes around an hour to show results costs Rs 3,900. The price of Rapid PCR was recently reduced from Rs 4,500 earlier. Similarly, in Mumbai, the cost of rapid PCR test is Rs 3,900, but this too was reduced from Rs 4,500 last week after the intervention of the state government. The normal RT-PCR cost at Mumbai airport is Rs 600. Last week, the Maharashtra government wrote to the Union health ministry seeking uniformity in charges for rapid RT-PCR tests as the cost was “too high”.
According to an official of one of the airport operators, the cost of normal RT-PCR is fixed by the government, but the cost of rapid PCR tests is decided by the diagnostic laboratory. For example, at the Delhi airport, Genstrings Diagnostics is the only service provider. Sources said the Delhi airport, which is operated by GMR, has been asked by the civil aviation ministry to induct more service providers. Another airport operated by GMR – Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad – has MapMyGenome.
At the Mumbai airport, operated by the Adani Group, there are three service providers for international arrivals – Lifanity, Suburban Diagnostics and AQ-MD (Mylabs). At the Ahmedabad airport, there is a laboratory designated Northstar Pathology Labs, operated by the Adani Group. In Ahmedabad, the cost of simple RT-PCR tests is Rs 400 while the cost of rapid RT-PCR tests is Rs 2,700. The prices of rapid testing are high not only at private airports but also at airports operated by AAI. At the Kolkata airport, the rapid test was priced at Rs 2,900 after two price cuts – from Rs 4,000 to Rs 3,600. This was also possible as a result of AAI’s decision to give up its revenue share.
The primary disparity between normal RT-PCR tests and rapid PCR tests is the time taken for results. According to information received from the website of Mumbai Airport, the results of normal RT-PCR test take up to 8-10 hours while the results of rapid RT-PCR test are available within 1-2 hours. However, the airport has also noted that “due to the increase in tests, there may be a slight delay in the reports”. E-mails sent to GMR Group, Adani Airports, Bengaluru Airport and Airport Authority of India did not elicit any response.
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