IATA Travel Pass Successfully Trialed

In a trial with Singapore Airline passengers, the first traveler using the IATA Travel Pass app to manage travel health credentials arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport.

Passengers on Singapore Airline flights from Singapore to London could use IATA Travel Pass to create a secure digital version of their passport on their mobile device, input their flight details to learn of travel restrictions and requirements, and receive verified test results and a confirmation that they met all travel requirements.

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JoAnn Tan, Acting Senior Vice President, Marketing Planning, Singapore Airlines, said, “Digital health credentials will be essential as borders reopen and travel restrictions get progressively lifted worldwide.”

To gain maximum benefit from IATA Travel Pass and avoid confusion and inconvenience for passengers, the standardization of test or vaccination certifications, and their acceptance by authorities is key.

“Today’s success is a big win for many parties. It gives travelers a one-stop-shop to help them comply with the new rules for travel,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO. “It shows that governments can efficiently manage these travel requirements with complete confidence in the identity of the passenger and the veracity of the travel credentials — importantly, avoiding long queues. And it’s a purpose-built means for airlines to manage the new travel requirements without drowning in inefficient and ineffective paper processes,” said de Juniac.

“Airlines understand that their ground operations will grind to a halt if they have to manage COVID-19 travel requirements — test results or vaccine certifications—with paper documentation,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Airport, Passenger, Cargo, Security. “The same is true for border authorities. The UK is ahead of other governments in mapping a way to re-starting international travel at scale. This real-life proof of concept should give all governments confidence that industry has a workable digital solution that will ease the pressure of incorporating health certificate checks into the travel process, including at borders. This trial is an opportunity for us to work with the UK government to demonstrate that the solution works and to share the results with others as we build a robust and efficient system that will help the world get moving again,” said Careen.