British Airways will soon begin trialing a new digital ‘Travel Pass’ designed to store the results of COVID-19 tests and proof of vaccination for airlines and the government.
BA is the latest airline to embrace the IATA Travel Pass, developed by the International Air Transport Association with the aim of becoming a global standard to assist restart travel and potentially replace mandatory quarantine.
Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways are also participating in trials of what IATA calls its ‘digital health pass’, with Singapore Airlines planning to integrate Travel Pass functionality into its personal mobile app around mid-2021 on the expectation that “COVID-19 tests and vaccinations will be an integral a part of air travel for the foreseeable future.”
British Airways will start its personal Travel pass trials “mid-February,” adding that “the trial will be on certain routes”, a spokesperson of IATA stated
IATA announced in November that it was working with British Airways parent IAG within the development of Travel Pass, which it describes as being built on “four open-sourced and interoperable modules”:
- Global registry of health requirements: allows passengers to find correct info on travel, testing, and eventually vaccine necessities for their journey.
- Global registry of testing/vaccination centers: enables passengers to find testing centers and labs at their departure location which meet the standards for testing and vaccination necessities of their destination.
- Lab App: enables authorized labs and test centers to securely share tests and vaccination certificates with passengers.
- Contactless Travel App: enables passengers to (A) create a ‘digital passport’, (B) obtain test and vaccination certificates and verify that they are sufficient for his or her itinerary, and (C) share testing or vaccination certificates with airlines and authorities to facilitate travel. This app can be used by travelers to manage travel documentation digitally and seamlessly throughout their journey, improving the travel experience.
“Testing is the first key to allow international travel without quarantine measures,” says Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
“The second key is the global info infrastructure needed to securely manage, share and verify test data matched with traveler identities in compliance with border control requirements. That’s the job of IATA Travel Pass.”
The trial will land alongside the UK’s introduction of obligatory 10-day hotel isolation for travelers arriving from high-risk nations in an attempt to halt the spread of newly-identified COVID-19 strains which are proving far more contagious than their parent.
