Page 7 - World Airnews Magazine December 2020

IATA

A PASS KEY

TO RE-OPEN

BORDERS SAFELY

Willie Walsh, former CEO of International

Airlines Group (IAG) will become IATA’s
eighth director general from 1 April 2021

to find accurate information on travel, testing and eventual-

ly vaccine requirements for their journey.

he International Air Transport Association has announced • Global registry of testing / vaccination centres - enables pas-

Ta forward thinking, digital tool aimed at giving govern- sengers to find testing centres and labs at their departure

ments the confidence to safely unlock borders that could be in location which meet the standards for testing and vaccina-

place by as early as next year. tion requirements of their destination.
The IATA travel pass was announced by IATA at the start of their • Lab App – enables authorised labs and test centres to se-

virtual global media day event. curely share test and vaccination certificates with passen-
gers.

It will manage and verify the secure flow of necessary testing or

vaccine information among governments, airlines, laboratories and • Contactless Travel App - enables passengers to (1) create

travellers. a ‘digital passport’, (2) receive test and vaccination certifi-

cates and verify that they are sufficient for their itinerary,

“Governments are beginning to use testing as a means of limiting and (3) share testing or vaccination certificates with airlines

the risks of Covid-19 importation when re-opening their borders to and authorities to facilitate travel. This app can also be

travellers without quarantine measures. IATA is calling for system- used by travellers to manage travel documentation digitally

atic COVID-19 testing of all international travellers,” said outgoing and seamlessly throughout their journey, improving travel

IATA director general and CEO Alexandre de Juniac experience.

The information infrastructure needed to enable this must sup- “IATA and International Airlines Group have been working

port four different sectors involved in the testing of individuals. together in the development of this solution and will undertake a

In particular it must provide governments with the means to veri- trial to demonstrate that this platform combined with COVID-19

fy the authenticity of tests and the identity of those presenting the testing can re-open international travel and replace quarantine, “

test certificates. It must give airlines the ability to provide accurate said de Juniac

information to their passengers on test requirements and verify The IATA Travel Pass is based on industry standards and the

that a passenger meets the requirements for travel. organisation’s proven experience in managing information flows

Laboratories must have the means to issue digital certificates to around complex travel requirements.

passengers that will be recognised by governments, and travellers Already in place IATA’s Timatic programme is used by most air-

must have accurate information on test requirements, where they lines to manage compliance with passport and visa regulations and

can get tested or vaccinated and the means to securely convey test will be the base for the global registry and verification of health

information to airlines and border authorities. requirements.
“Today borders are double locked. Testing is the first key to en- Furthermore IATA’s One ID initiative endorsed last year at the

able international travel without quarantine measures. The second 75th annual general meeting to securely facilitate travel processes

key is a global information infrastructure needed to securely man- with a single identity token forms the base for the IATA Contactless

age, share and verify test data matched with traveller identities Travel App for identity verification that will also manage the test

in compliance with border control requirements. That’s the job of and vaccination certificates.

IATA Travel Pass. Meanwhile De Juniac announced his intention to step down from

“We are bringing this to market in the coming months to also the Association several months ago. A search process to facilitate

meet the needs of the various travel bubbles and public health a smooth leadership transition has resulted in a recommendation

corridors that are starting operation,” said de Juniac that Willie Walsh, former CEO of International Airlines Group (IAG)

The IATA Travel Pass incorporates four open sourced and interop- will become IATA’s eighth director general from 1 April 2021.

erable modules which can be combined for an end-to-end solution: The recommendation is due to be tabled and accepted at the

• Global registry of health requirements - enables passengers IATA 76th AGM. Q
World Airnews | December 2020
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