Bologna’s Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ) is now allowed to accept Covid-tested flights from the United Arab Emirates, after getting official authorisation on August 11th.

Such flights, which require passengers to test negative for coronavirus both before and after the journey,  previously only served airports in Rome, Milan, Naples and Venice. 

As well as the UAE, travellers from the United States, Canada and Japan also have the option to fly on Covid-tested services – but in those cases, fully vaccinated or recovered visitors are not subject to quarantine even if they arrive on regular flights.

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Passengers arriving from the UAE would otherwise have to get a test no more than 72 hours before flying, then quarantine for five days on arrival in Italy and take a second test to end their isolation. 

Instead, travelling on a Covid-tested flight involves getting a test no more than 48 hours before boarding as well as on arrival in Italy. If both are negative, no quarantine or further tests are required.

Other Italian airports that accept Covid-tested flights, including Rome Fiumicino, Milan Malpensa and Venice Marco Polo, have begun charging passengers on top of their ticket fare €20 to get tested on arrival.

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Before the pandemic Bologna used to receive daily flights from Dubai, a major hub for passengers connecting from Asia and Australasia, and currently Emirates operates around three flights a week on the route.

BLQ’s directors had been pushing for months for permission to host Covid-tested flights to avoid losing out to Italy’s larger airports.