Canadian airlines are welcoming a new rapid-testing pilot program that could significantly reduce quarantine times for international passengers arriving in Canada.

The federal government and the Government of Alberta on Thursday announced the launch of a new pilot program at Calgary International Airport to safely test a reduced quarantine period, while protecting Canadians from COVID-19.

It's a huge step forward to making travel easier, and there are reports the program could be expanded to other Canadian airports if it works in Calgary.

International travellers returning to Canada through the Calgary Airport via a non-stop flight will be initially invited to participate. For eligible travellers, quarantine will only be required until a negative test result is received, reducing the quarantine from 14-days to as few as two. The start date of the trial is November 2. Details can be found here.

The CBC reports that the "voluntary screening option will be available for foreign essential workers — truckers, health care and other workers who are exempt from the current federal travel ban — and any Canadian citizens returning to the country through Alberta."

"Starting Nov. 2, the new COVID-19 testing option will be offered at the Coutts land border crossing in southern Alberta and the Calgary International Airport," the CBC said. "If the test comes back negative, travellers will be allowed to leave their place of quarantine as long as they commit to getting a second test on day six or seven after arrival, at a community pharmacy participating in the pilot program."

"We simply must move forward to develop policies to facilitate safe travel," Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said during a news conference at Calgary/YYC on Thursday. "Though a lot of work lies ahead, we can see a return to normal travel."

Earlier this year, Air Canada partnered with McMaster HealthLabs (MHL) and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority for a study on testing that continues to yield results that demonstrate the validity of testing as a means to ease travel restrictions and quarantine requirements.

"We know Canadians expect the rich data from these test results to lead to a loosening of the federal government's quarantine requirements immediately, which will allow families to reunite and the economy to resume," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer at Air Canada. "Our customer surveys clearly show that Canadians favour safe and science-based alternatives to blanket quarantines.

"The results from the McMaster study at Toronto-Pearson were instrumental in guiding the federal government and public health agencies to add the easing of quarantine to this latest testing initiative. I have personally heard from numerous business leaders in Canada and from other countries who are very anxious to see the quarantine requirements safely abridged as soon as possible," Rovinescu said.

"The preliminary results from the MHL study provide evidence that testing passengers on arrival into Canada may be an effective way to screen for COVID-19," said Dr. Jim Chung, Air Canada's Chief Medical Officer. "The data has provided the federal government and the government of Alberta with the confidence to move forward with this new testing initiative.

"In fact, today Alberta Premier Jason Kenney thanked Air Canada for helping advocate for measures to safely reduce quarantine, which is an encouraging step in the continued push for a secure resumption of air travel. Rapid testing is also a means to enable governments to relax current blanket travel restrictions and quarantines in a measured way while still safeguarding the health and safety of the public," he said.

Since the Toronto-Pearson study began September 3, MHL has conducted over 28,000 tests of arriving travellers who volunteered to participate. As our interim report noted, more than 99% have tested negative for COVID-19 with less than 1% having indicated COVID-19. For more information on the MHL study see https://aircanada.mediaroom.com/2020-09-03-McMaster-HealthLabs-Air-Canada-and-Greater-Toronto-Airports-Authority-to-Conduct-a-Voluntary-COVID-19-Study-of-Arriving-International-Travellers

On October 1, Air Canada announced that it was finalizing an initial order for 25,000 ID NOW rapid COVID-19 test kits from Abbott as part of its ongoing evaluation of COVID-19 testing technology and protocols.

"This announcement is welcomed by WestJet and I applaud and thank Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Jason Kenney for taking this important step in providing peace of mind to anxious travellers," said Ed Sims, WestJet President and CEO. "We have been asking for a science-based approach based on multiple layers of testing to help safely ease the quarantine requirements. With our home and largest hub in Calgary, guests from the province will be the first to experience this important trial as an alternative to a 14-day quarantine."

WestJet is taking a data-driven, science-based approach to develop and evaluate operational policies and practices and review the latest research and recommendations from both internal and third-party experts including the University of Alberta and University of British Columbia. Since March, the airline has safely flown more than one million guests on more than 25,000 flights with no reported cases of transmission on board.