Air Canada to Explore Rapid COVID-19 Testing with Spartan Bioscience

Air Canada is taking the lead in being able to ensure no COVID carrying passengers board its planes. The carrier is working with Spartan Bioscience Inc. to assess how best to deploy portable COVID-19 test kits in the aviation sector.

Air Canada has been at the forefront of the airline industry in responding to COVID-19, for example being among the first carriers globally to require face coverings onboard and the first airline in the Americas to take customers' temperatures prior to boarding. In May it introduced a comprehensive program, Air Canada CleanCare+, to apply biosafety measures at each stage of the journey. Air Canada has committed to adding other processes and technologies as they become available, which is why it is pleased to be working with Spartan Bioscience.

Spartan is developing a proprietary swab for the collection of DNA samples for its COVID-19 test. Spartan's test cartridge (reagents) and the Spartan Cube (portable DNA analyzer device) remain subject to Health Canada approval.

"Spartan is excited to explore how our fast, portable testing technology can help keep Air Canada employees and the travelling public safe as Canada's economy re-opens," said Nick Noreau, Spartan Bioscience's Chief Revenue Officer.