Digital travel pass gets off to flying start with app

The first international traveler to use a digital pass indicating COVID19 status — an innovation from the hard-hit airline industry — arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport on Wednesday.

The passenger was using the International Air Transport Association, or IATA, Travel Pass, traveling on a Singapore Airlines flight from the city state’s Changi Airport.

The app, which is undergoing a trial, allows travelers to store and manage certifications for COVID-19 tests or vaccines.

It can also be used to create a secure digital version of passengers’ passports on their phones, while enabling them to enter flight details for information on travel restrictions and requirements. In storing verified COVID-19 test results, the app provides confirmation that a user meets all travel requirements.

Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director-general and chief executive, said: “The successful implementation of IATA Travel Pass in this trial demonstrates that technology can securely, conveniently and efficiently help travelers and governments to manage travel health credentials. The significance of this to restarting international aviation cannot be overstated.”

Singapore Airlines is the first carrier to try out the app, on flights from Singapore to London.

Travelers will still need to bring a physical copy of the health certificate issued by the clinic where they took their COVID-19 test, the airline said, which is in line with current regulatory requirements.

The airline added that by consolidating the verification of health credentials into a single app, participants can expect a faster and more seamless check-in process.

“Digital health credentials will be essential as borders reopen and travel restrictions get progressively lifted worldwide,” said JoAnn Tan, acting senior vice-president of marketing planning at Singapore Airlines.

The trial will run till March 28. The airline industry association said the app allows airlines to manage new travel requirements without people “drowning in inefficient and ineffective paper processes”.

In a recent IATA poll of travelers, 89 percent agree with the need for global standards and 80 percent said they are keen to use a mobile app to manage their travel credentials.