A new contactless app being rolled out by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) stores and manages passengers' Covid certifications and documents needed to enter a country.
“The IATA Travel Pass is a solution that both travellers and governments can trust. And it is being built with data security, convenience and verification as top priorities,” IATA’s director general and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac said.
The IATA Travel Pass follows research conducted in late 2020 by the association that found 85 per cent of travellers wanted touchless processing throughout airports and 75 per cent said they were reluctant to physically pass their passport, phone or boarding pass to airline staff, security staff or government officials at the airport.
How it works
The centralised app has four main elements: travel information, travel documents, Covid regulation-compliant certifications and privacy settings.
Through the app, travellers can find out what health requirements they need to fulfil to gain entry to their intended destination.
After testing or vaccination, the IATA-approved labs and centres can share results and certificates with passengers through the app.
Travellers can then use the app as a centralised digital vaccination or test passport.
“We are building the IATA Travel Pass with one aim—to help reconnect our world safely,” IATA's senior VP, airport, passenger, cargo and security, Nick Careen said.
“We are confident that we can deliver a complete solution with IATA Travel Pass. And we are building the IATA Travel Pass so that other solutions serving the same industry re-opening goal can also benefit from it. We want airlines to have a competitive marketplace with the widest range of options that meet their specific needs.”
IATA is adamant that the app has been built with privacy as the top priority and insists the app stores encrypted data including verified test or vaccination results. The Travel Pass is built on the Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI) principles that recognise individuals own and control their own data.
App users can control what information is shared with airlines and authorities as there is no central database or data repository is storing the information.
The app is due to be launched on iOS and Android by the end of March 2021.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
