IATA Travel Pass to make travel smoother for Emirates and Etihad passengers, say airlines
The UAE’s two major airlines, Emirates and Etihad, are among the first in the world to trial the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) new Travel Pass in an effort to create a smoother and safer experience for passengers.
IATA’s Travel Pass is a mobile app designed to help passengers easily and securely manage their travel in line with any government requirements for COVID-19 testing or vaccine information.
It is a form of ‘digital passport’ allowing passengers to verify their pre-travel test or vaccination meets the requirements of the destination. Passengers of both airlines will also be able to share the test and vaccination certificates with authorities and carriers.
“While international travel remains as safe as ever, there are new protocols and travel requirements with the current global pandemic,” said Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ chief operating officer.
In the first phase of the rollout, Emirates customers travelling from Dubai will be able to share their COVID-19 test status directly with the airline before reaching the airport, which will then auto-populate the details on the check-in system.
Etihad will initially offer the Travel Pass to passengers on select flights from Abu Dhabi in the first quarter of 2021. If successful, the pass will be extended to other destinations on the Etihad network.
Mohammad Al Bulooki, the airline’s chief operating officer, said COVID-19 tests and vaccinations “will be key to get the world flying again”.
“A high priority for Etihad is for our guests to have an easy, secure and efficient way to identify and verify their information. Being one of the first airlines globally working with IATA as a pioneer partner on the IATA Travel Pass is a big step forward for Etihad’s guests and for the industry.”
Nick Careen, IATA’s senior VP for airport, passenger, cargo and security, said: “This is the first step in making international travel during the pandemic as convenient as possible giving people the confidence that they are meeting all COVID-19 entry requirements by governments. As borders re-open, IATA Travel Pass will be further enhanced with more capabilities to meet all governments testing or vaccination verification requirements and Emirates customers will be among the first to have these services.”
The IATA Travel Pass has been developed as four independent modules that can interact with each other. These modules cover registries for regulatory entry requirements and labs/test centres, verified certificate issuance, digital identity and the possibility for passengers to share their tests results along their journey via their mobile device. These modules can work together as one complete end-to-end solution. Or they can be used separately to complement systems that others are building.
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