TravTalk India Online Magazine
While two international airlines have adopted the IATA Travel Pass, IATA is in talks with the Indian authorities and airlines to adopt the application.The Pass moves existing paper processes to a digital platform with up-to-date information on entry requirements. Here’s what it can do to solve the existing challenge of allowing international movement safely.
Hazel Jain
To address the challenge of health-check inefficiencies, errors and fraud – which is an increasing problem around the world, IATA has developed a solution called IATA Travel Pass, a mobile App to help passengers easily and securely manage their travel in line with government requirements for COVID-19 tests or vaccines. The IATA Travel Pass moves existing paper processes to a digital platform and joins it with up-to-date information on entry requirements. This makes the process more convenient for travellers and helps avoid fraudulent documentation.
Sharing his views on why this product is good for India, too, Vinoop Goel, Regional Director, Airports and External Relations, Asia Pacific, International Air Transport Association (IATA), says, “An electronic process will be better to manage the volumes of data that are likely to be needed and it will help passengers to adapt to any changes more easily in government requirements. Importantly, there will be paper-based alternatives for people who do not have mobile phones, albeit less convenient ones. IATA is already managing health requirements through its Timatic solution, so IATA Travel Pass is a natural evolution to support the industry during the pandemic.”
Two airlines, one from Asia Pacific (Singapore Airlines) and the other from the Middle East (Qatar Airways), have already adopted this. Goel adds, “While Singapore Airlines was the first to pilot components, Qatar Airways was the first airline in the Middle East to pilot the components.” Passengers on Qatar’s Doha-Istanbul route began trialling the digital platform from March 11.
Qatar Airways’ Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, says, “We are the industry’s firmest advocate for introducing digital solutions to help passengers safely and seamlessly navigate complex and ever-changing entry restrictions across the globe. We are proud to be at the forefront of trialling this platform, being one of the first globally and the first airline in the Middle East to do so. IATA Travel Pass is a huge step towards proving that ICAO’s global standards for digital passports do work. It will also help governments across the world to come together in the development of standardised regulations.”
Where is India in all this?
Have any of the Indian airlines shown any interest in adopting the IATA Travel Pass? Goel says, “Yes, we are in talks with Indian authorities and the Indian airlines for the Travel Pass to be used in India.” While the airlines don’t need any governmental permission to trial or adopt the IATA Travel Pass, IATA is talking to the Indian authorities, the DGCA and the airports as well to get them onboard, so that they can possibly look at passing an industry-wide policy on this.
Goel adds that Indian airlines can benefit from this application. “It is a fully digital solution that can be quickly rolled out and can cater to a huge aviation market like India. Also, given the prevalence of e-solutions in normal Indian day-to-day activities, the Indian population is well versed with such mobile solutions and we are confident that they will be quick to adopt the IATA Travel Pass. Given the scale and diversity of the Indian air travel market and the multiple languages used, it will be very difficult to implement a paper-based certificate verification process,” he says. There is a cost to the airlines but the pricing is yet to be determined. But it will be free for passengers.
Different stages of implementation
Singapore Airlines became the world’s first airline to pilot the Travel Pass mobile application for digital health verification, starting with passengers travelling from Singapore to London from March 15-28, 2021. This marks the second phase of its digital health verification process trials. Passengers with mobiles on Apple’s iOS can download the App and create an ID. They can also book their pre-departure COVID-19 test at one of seven participating clinics in Singapore via an online portal. They will be able to view their test results, as well as confirmation status to fly, directly on the App.
Etihad Airways is currently running a trial but it is still in the implementation stage, reveals Goel. Mohammad Al Bulooki, COO, Etihad Aviation Group, shares, “COVID-19 tests and vaccinations will be key to get the world flying again. Since August 1, 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.”
Meanwhile, British Airways has launched a third travel passport App through its check-in portal.
