The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global airline industry body, said it would launch its Covid-19 travel pass at the end of March, a Reuters report said.

 

The pass is expected to bring into use a digital system for test results and vaccine certificates which will help facilitiate international travel.

 

IATA said it is becoming clear that vaccines and testing will play a role as the pandemic comes under control and economies ramp up, including the travel sector. 

 

The IATA Travel Pass will enable travellers to securely control their health data and share it with relevant authorities. A growing list of airlines—including Air New Zealand, Copa Airlines, Etihad Airways, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Malaysia Airlines, RwandAir, and Singapore Airlines—have done or are committed to doing trials with IATA Travel Pass.

 

“Efficient digital management of health credentials is vital to restart. Manual processes will not be able to cope with volumes once the recovery begins. Digital solutions must be secure, work with existing systems, align with global standards and respect data privacy. In developing the IATA Travel Pass these are fully in focus. The IATA Travel App will help to set the bar very high for managing health credentials, protecting against fraud and enabling a convenient travel process. While there is choice in the market for solutions, there should be no compromise on the fundamentals, or we risk failing systems, disappointed governments and travelers, and a delayed restart,” said  Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

 

The travel pass essentially works as a “digital passport”. It stores traveller’s information, including Covid-19 test results, which they can share with airlines and other authorities during their travel, thereby making their trips more convenient – and paperless. - TradeArabia News Service