IATA to launch travel pass app for COVID-19 check soon
A digital COVID-19 travel pass will soon be launched by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in a matter of weeks.
According to reports, the pass is an app that verifies a passenger has had the Covid-19 tests or vaccines required to enter a country.
This was made public by Vinoop Goel, IATA’s regional director of airports and external relations.
Goel said: “The key issue is one of confidence. Passengers need to be confident that the testing they’ve taken is accurate and will allow them to enter the country.
“And then governments need to have the confidence that the tests that the passengers claim to have are one which is accurate and meets their own conditions.
“We are currently working with a number of airlines worldwide and learning from these pilots. And the plan is to go live in March.
“So basically we expect to have a fully functional working system over the next few weeks.
“We do have a case in the Republic of Korea that does require a paper certificate, so we are working with the government there to ensure they will allow digital certificates to be accepted.”
The Travel Pass according to IATA is designed in a “modular” way, so that it can work with other digital solutions that are being trialed around the world.
According to reports, the App will be available on iOS and Android platforms and to be free to passengers. Singapore Airlines was the first airline to start trials of the travel pass in December. Etihad, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Air New Zealand are among the other airlines currently conducting trials, and IATA says it is discussing the pass with most airlines throughout the Asia Pacific region.
Observers say the travel app is needful owing to the urgent need to device multiple means of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic which is giving signs of lasting longer than expected.