The International Air Transport Association (IATA) will trial the IATA Travel Pass with Etihad Airways and Emirates.

IATA Travel Pass is a mobile app enabling passengers to manage their travel plans safely in line with government requirements for Covid-19 testing or vaccine information.

It will initially be offered to Etihad Airways’ guests on selected flights from Abu Dhabi in the first quarter of this year, with a view to rolling out to other Etihad destinations if successful.

Emirates is expected to begin an initial phase in April that involves passengers validating Covid-19 PCR tests prior to departure.

‘DIGITAL PASSPORT’

Customers travelling from Dubai will be able to share test statuses directly with the airline, which will auto-populate data on the check-in system, via the app before reaching the airport.

As a result, passengers create a ‘digital passport’ to retrieve pre-travel test results and vaccination certificates and ensure the vaccination meets the requirements of the destination.

An integrated registry of travel requirements built in to the app allows passengers to find accurate information on travel, entry requirements for all destinations, and locate testing sites and labs.

IATA’s Senior Vice President, Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security Nick Careen praised the partnerships with the airlines to make the IATA Travel Pass available in the Middle East.

“This is the first step in making international travel during the pandemic as convenient as possible giving people the confidence that they are meeting all Covid-19 entry requirements by governments,” he said in a statement.

“As borders re-open, IATA Travel Pass will be further enhanced with more capabilities to meet all governments’ testing or vaccination verification requirements. Our aim is to give all governments the confidence to reopen borders to travellers based on verified vaccine and testing data.”

SIMPLIFYING TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer, Etihad Aviation Group said: “Since 1 August 2020, Etihad is the only airline requiring a pre-departure negative PCR test result for all passengers worldwide, and again on arrival in Abu Dhabi, giving our guests the added assurance of safety when they travel with us.

“A high priority for Etihad is for our guests to have an easy, secure and efficient way to identify and verify their information. Being one of the first airlines globally working with IATA as a pioneer partner on the IATA Travel Pass is a big step forward for Etihad’s guests and for the industry.”

Adel Al Redha, Chief Operating Officer, Emirates added: “While international travel remains as safe as ever, there are new protocols and travel requirements with the current global pandemic.

“We have worked with IATA on this innovative solution to simplify and digitally transmit the information that is required by countries and governments into our airline systems, in a secure 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.”