The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects its digital ‘Covid Travel Pass’ will be ready for use very soon, as per media reports.
The pass, which is designed to verify a passenger has had the Covid-19 tests or vaccines required to enter a country. It also verifies they were administered by an approved authority.
IATA sees the pass as essential for reopening air travel, as many countries still have strict restrictions or quarantines in place. The pass was originally unveiled in December 2020.
According to the report, Vinoop Goel, IATA regional director of airports and external relations said: “The key issue is one of confidence. Passengers need to be confident that the testing they have taken is accurate and will allow them to enter the country. Then governments need to have the confidence that the tests that the passengers claim to have, is accurate and meets their conditions.”
The Travel Pass, which IATA is preparing alongside Etihad and many other carriers, is designed in a modular way so that it can work with other digital solutions that are being tested around the world. But, British Airways is working on a separate, but compatible VeriFLY solution.
IATA says the Travel Pass, which is expected to be free to passengers, will be available on iOS and Android platforms, and
the IATA Travel Pass will help reconnect the world safely.
