From December 15, 2020, the trans-Atlantic partners Delta Air Lines and KLM will offer special flights with COVID test from Atlanta to Amsterdam. In collaboration with the Dutch government, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the airlines have set up an extensive COVID-19 test program. As a result, eligible passengers do not have to be quarantined if they receive a negative result from a PCR test performed upon their arrival in the Netherlands.

“This is a very important and big step forward. Until an approved working vaccine is available worldwide, this testing program will be a critical step in the recovery of the international travel industry. I am grateful for the constructive cooperation between the four parties, our partner Delta Air Lines, Schiphol Group and the support of the Dutch government to make this unique trial with a COVID-free travel corridor possible. All parties should work to systematically address these rapid tests and integrate them into the passengers' travel experience so that quarantine measures can be lifted as soon as possible. In this way we can restore the confidence of passengers and governments in aviation, ”said Pieter Elbers, President & CEO of KLM.

The COVID-tested flights will be operated from Atlanta to Amsterdam four times a week, with Delta and KLM each handling two. Only passengers with negative test results will be allowed on board. The flights will initially be operated for a period of three weeks. If this proves to be successful, the airlines hope to expand the program into other markets.

Customers can opt for the flights with COVID test when booking their tickets online or choose one of the alternative daily Delta or KLM flights between Atlanta and Amsterdam that are not included in the test program.

“Creating COVID-free travel corridors, in addition to the various safety and hygiene measures we've already implemented through the Delta Care Standard, will give customers - and authorities - more confidence that travelers can stay healthy while flying,” said Steve Sear, Delta President - International and Executive Vice President - Global Sales. "Together with our partners and health authorities, Delta has worked hard to safely reopen airspace and resume international air travel until a vaccine is available that eliminates quarantine."

Travelers to the Netherlands are only admitted if they go into quarantine for five days. By having a PCR test taken with negative results and going into self-isolation five days before arrival in the Netherlands, travelers can choose to complete the quarantine before their flight departs. If the passenger also tests negative during a second PCR test at Schiphol, he or she is released from further quarantine.

This new protocol will be available to all citizens who are allowed to travel to the Netherlands for essential reasons, such as for certain specific work, health and education reasons. Customers traveling to other countries via Amsterdam still have to meet the admission requirements and any mandatory quarantine at their destination.

Dick Benschop, CEO of Royal Schiphol Group, said: “This is an important step to demonstrate that testing regimes enable safe and responsible air travel while reducing the need for travel bans and lengthy quarantine measures. We thank the Dutch government and our partners. ”

To travel on the special Delta and KLM flights with COVID test from Atlanta to Amsterdam, passengers must have a COVID-5 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test taken 19 days before arrival in Amsterdam, a Rapid antigen. before boarding in Atlanta, have a PCR test taken immediately upon arrival at Schiphol. KLM reports this on their website through this message.

Photo above: KLM Image Bank.

Also read: European flights with less KLM capacity