Digital passport offers COVID-19 information and verifies users’ testing and vaccination credentials
Qatar Airways becomes first Middle East airline to use new Iata Travel Pass app
Qatar Airways has become the first airline in the Middle East to begin trials of the new Iata Travel Pass digital passport mobile app.
The trial, in partnership with the global airline body, the Qatar Ministry of Public Health, Primary Health Care Corporation and Hamad Medical Corporation, started March 11.
Passengers on the airline’s Doha to Istanbul route will become the first group to use the digital passport app which the airline said it hopes will offer a more contactless, secure and seamless experience for its passengers.
The Iata Travel Pass ensures passengers receive up-to-date information on COVID-19 health regulations at their destination country.
It has been built to comply with global data privacy regulations to enable the sharing of COVID-19 test results with airlines to verify users are eligible to undertake their journey.
His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group chief executive, said: “As the world’s leading airline for safety, innovation and customer experience, 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 have confidence in the credibility of the IATA Travel Pass as the industry’s most reliable and innovative solution given its strong data privacy compliance, long-standing entry rules engine and ability to provide an end-to-end solution.
“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 trial the technology.
“With the strictest data privacy regulations, IATA Travel Pass is a huge step towards proving that ICAO’s global standards for digital passports do work.
“It will also assist in laying the foundation for governments across the world to come together in the development of standardised regulations to reduce the current patchwork of red tape across the international travel industry.
“In partnership with the World Health Organisation, IATA is also engaged in helping to define a standardised vaccine certificate that will be necessary for the opening of borders and scalable increase of global travel”
IATA director general and chief executive Alexandre de Juniac, added: “Qatar Airways’ full deployment of IATA Travel Pass is a significant milestone in restarting global connectivity.
“Governments are requiring testing or vaccination certifications to enable travel and the IATA travel app helps travellers to securely and conveniently manage and provide their credentials.
“All passengers using IATA Travel Pass can be confident that their data is protected and governments can trust that the ‘OK to travel’ means both a genuine credential and a verified identity.”