The International Air Transport Association has confirmed its digital Covid Travel Pass could be ready within weeks, ushering in hope for a desperately needed travel recovery in 2021.
The Covid Travel Pass is an app that verifies a passenger has had the necessary Covid19 tests and/or vaccines required to enter a country, as well as verifying that an approved authority administered the tests/vaccines.
IATA said the travel pass would provide “a global, standardised solution to validate and authenticate all country regulations”, which the association believes is essential for safe travel globally.
Sure Travel CEO Vanya Lessing welcomed the announcement: “Traveller safety and confidence is critical in getting the travel industry and the global economy back on track. The digital Covid Travel Pass provides a standard, trusted method of verifying and can be rolled out quickly. This is a great IATA initiative.”
The app, which will be available on iOS and Android at no charge to passengers, is currently being tested by Etihad, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Air New Zealand, following Singapore Airlines’ successful trial run in December 2020.
"We are currently working with a number of airlines worldwide and learning from these pilots. The plan is to go live in March," Vinoop Goel, IATA’s Regional Director of Airports and External Relations told BBC.
Importantly, IATA’s travel pass will pave the way for quarantine-free travel, which is essential to the airline and broader travel industry as it grapples to recover from the monumental blow dealt in 2020.
According to IATA figures, demand across the global airline industry declined by 70% in 2020, while the global tourism sector lost US$1.3 trillion in revenue in what the United Nations called “the worst year in tourism history”.
IATA believes its travel pass is the solution the industry desperately needs: “The main priority is to get people traveling again safely.”
Do you need assistance arranging travel during the time of Covid? Contact a Sure Travel agency for expert advice. Find your nearest Sure Travel agency here, or call 0861 47 48 49.