Passengers flying nonstop from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Amsterdam on Delta Air Lines can now get a rapid COVID-19 test result at the airport within hours of their flight.
On Thursday, the airline resumed flying from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) to Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport (AMS) after the Dutch government tightened restrictions on inbound travel in January.
To accommodate the Netherlands' requirement that all travelers get a negative COVID-19 test result within four hours of a departing flight, Delta has set up its own rapid virus-testing site at MSP. For now, the site will be available exclusively to passengers on Delta's flights to Amsterdam.
The Metropolitan Airports Commission, which operates the airport, is in the midst of a selecting a vendor that can conduct rapid tests to anyone departing from MSP, regardless of airline, said airport spokesman Patrick Hogan. They hope it is up and running within a month.
MSP is Delta's sixth airport with a rapid coronaÂvirus testing facility, joining Seattle, Detroit, Boston, Atlanta and New York-JFK.
The Amsterdam flight in November became the first international long-haul flight to restart at MSP since the coronavirus pandemic brought global travel to a near-halt last spring.
Kristen Leigh Painter • 612-673-4767
