‘There’s no central database and nobody can hack it’, says IATA’s chief of security products
IATA’s Travel Pass was launched earlier this month with Emirates and Etihad among the first airlines to start trialling the system, which is designed to facilitate air travel during the COVID pandemic by replacing compulsory quarantine measures.
The ‘digital passport’ allows passengers to verify their pre-travel test or vaccination meets the requirements of the destination. Sensitive passenger details, like test and vaccination certificates, are uploaded onto the app, which can then be shared with authorities and airlines.
But IATA has insisted that the system is safe from cyber-attacks and said that passengers are in “complete control” of their data, thanks to decentralised blockchain technology.
“This is the beauty of the technology we’re using; it puts the passenger in complete control of their data. There’s no central database and nobody can hack it,” IATA’s head of airport, passenger and security products, Alan Murray Hayden narrated.
“The passenger owns their data and they share it with the airline. It’s so powerful and it’s probably one of the first ever examples of blockchain technology being implemented in a way that benefits people,” he said.
The industry has high hopes for IATA’s Travel Pass, which is designed to make the passenger experience much smoother and allow governments to stop enforcing mandatory quarantines on arrivals.
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.”
Singapore Airlines says it was the first carrier to adopt the system but he UAE’s carriers were quick to follow, announcing their own trials.
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.
Currently, IATA is in talks with around 15 of the world’s largest airlines to roll out the system.
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