LAX Opens COVID Testing Facility with Lab, Producing Results in 3-5 Hours

LOS ANGELES (CNS) – A COVID-19 rapid-testing facility with an on-site lab capable of producing results in 3-5 hours launched Thursday at Los Angeles International Airport.

The $125 nasal swab tests are administered and processed at the airport, and LAWA officials called the purpose-built on-site lab “a first-of- its-kind for airports.” Tests are available between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily.

The testing facility and lab are located in a modular shipping container structure across the street from Terminal 6 on the Lower/Arrivals level, between parking structures 6 and 7. The building has shade coverings outside and floor markers to ensure physical distance between people in line.

The lab can process about 1,000 tests a day, and people will receive their results electronically within hours.

“The lab is right there with the collection facility so people will be able to have their test done much faster than if their samples had to be sent off airport property,” LAWA’s Charles Pannunzio told City News Service.

The lab will also process 24-hour results that are available in Terminal 2 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal, Pannunzio said. Those testing sites are open between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.

The program is a partnership between LAWA and SG Blocks, Clarity Lab Solutions and Grimshaw Architects.

“As more destinations around the world integrate COVID-19 testing requirements for arriving passengers, and as passengers are choosing to take steps to monitor their health when flying, providing easy access to rapid testing is another way LAX can help bolster safe travel,” said LAWA CEO Justin Erbacci. “In our continuous quest to innovate and reimagine the airport experience, we partnered with the private sector to design, construct and open a first-of-its-kind on-site laboratory that will provide an accessible and affordable rapid testing solution.”

Appointments for all three LAX testing locations are recommended, but some walk-up appointments may be available at Terminal 2 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Test registration can be accessed at https://bit.ly/3pC9UYV.