IATA to Launch Digital Travel Health Pass to Help Reopen Borders Safely

IATA will release its travel health pass in first quarter of 2021. Press here for update.

The IATA Travel Pass links a passengers ID, health data, Covid-19 test or vaccine results, giving governments confidence that the coronavirus transmission risk is minimized

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Monday announced that it is in the final development phase of the IATA Travel Pass, a digital health pass designed to support the safe reopening of borders in the coronavirus (Covid-19) era.

“Today borders are double locked. Testing is the first key to enable international travel without quarantine measures. The second key is the global information infrastructure needed to securely manage, share and verify test data matched with traveler identities in compliance with border control requirements,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

According to IATA, its Travel Pass will manage and verify the secure flow of necessary testing or vaccine information among governments, airlines, laboratories and travelers.

“We are bringing this to market in the coming months to also meet the needs of the various travel bubbles and public health corridors that are starting operation,” de Juniac added.

IATA and International Airlines Group (IAG) have been working together in the development of the solution and will undertake a trial to demonstrate that the platform combined with COVID-19 testing can reopen international travel and replace quarantine.

IATA is calling for systematic COVID-19 testing of all international travelers and the information flow infrastructure needed to enable this must support:

– governments with the means to verify the authenticity of tests and the identity of those presenting the test certificates,
– airlines with the ability to provide accurate information to their passengers on test requirements and verify that a passenger meets the requirements for travel,
– laboratories with the means to issue digital certificates to passengers that will be recognized by governments, and;
– travelers with accurate information on test requirements, where they can get tested or vaccinated, and the means to securely convey test information to airlines and border authorities.

The IATA Travel Pass incorporates the following four open sourced and interoperable modules which can be combined for an end-to-end solution:

According to IATA, the airline industry demands a cost effective, global, and modular solution to safely restart travel.

The Travel Pass will be based on industry standards and the association’s proven experience in managing information flows around complex travel requirements (IATA’s Timatic and One ID initiative).

The first cross-border IATA Travel Pass pilot is scheduled for later this year and the launch slated for the first quarter of 2021.