Emirates and Etihad adhere to the IATA health passport for travel during the pandemic
Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways, both from the United Arab Emirates and two of the largest airlines in the world, signed an agreement with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to test the IATA Travel Pass.
It is an application for cell phones to, according to the organization, help passengers to manage trips in an easy and safe way, according to government requirements for tests or vaccines against COVID-19.
The IATA Travel Pass allows passengers to create a kind of 'digital passport' to receive the results of the COVID test and verify that they are qualified to travel according to the country's regulations. Through the app, the authorities will be able to check, for example, if travelers have their vaccines up to date or have performed negative tests against COVID within the regulatory period.
IATA points out that the Travel Pass keeps passengers in control of their data and will only facilitate the sharing of information with airlines and travel authorities. This will also make it convenient for passengers to manage travel documentation while traveling.
The Etihad Aviation Group's director of operations, Mohammad Al Bulooki, defends the measure as very important for the regularization of global aviation. "Being one of the first airlines to work globally with IATA as a pioneer partner on the IATA Travel Pass is a major step forward for Etihad guests and the industry," said the executive.
“COVID-19 tests and vaccinations will be the key to making the world fly again. Since August 1, 2020, Etihad is the only airline that requires a negative PCR test result before departure for passengers worldwide, and again upon arrival in Abu Dhabi, giving our guests the added security guarantee when they travel with us ”, he added.
Emirates Director of Operations, Adel Al Redha, said that while international travel remains as safe as ever, there are new protocols and travel requirements in the current global pandemic scenario.
“We work with IATA on this innovative solution to simplify and digitally transmit the information required by countries and governments on our airline systems, in a safe and efficient manner. We are proud to be one of the first airlines in the world to pilot this initiative, which will provide an enhanced customer experience and conveniently facilitate our customers' travel needs, ”he said.
The IATA Travel Pass was developed as four independent modules that can interact with each other. These modules cover records for regulatory entry requirements and testing laboratories and centers, as well as issuing verified certificates, digital identity and the possibility for passengers to share test results while traveling via their mobile devices.
The app can work as a complete end-to-end solution or be used separately to complement systems that are still under construction. IATA has developed these modules to ensure that they are interoperable with other industry solutions.
With information from IATA.
