Hong Kong Airlines is the latest carrier to trial the IATA Travel Pass.
Hong Kong Airlines is to trial a digital health passport. The pass has been developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) so travellers can easily view Covid entry requirements for their destination as well as accredited testing centres at their departure point. The Travel Pass app enables passengers to link their Covid test results to a digital version of their passport created through the app.
Under this trial, Hong Kong Airlines will work closely with IATA to test its Lab app. Passengers on a selected route will be asked to take part by downloading the app, creating a digital profile and then selecting a participating medical service provider for Covid testing. A secure, encrypted channel means the registered laboratory can verify the passenger’s identity and send the test result, or proof of vaccination, directly to the traveller’s mobile device.
This is then checked against IATA’s global registry of Covid health requirements to make sure requirements are complied with and the passenger then receives an ‘OK to Travel’.
“We welcome the opportunity to contribute our inputs into the development of Travel Pass,” said Chris Birt, Hong Kong Airlines’ director of service delivery. “Given the constantly changing environment of the current pandemic and frequent modification of border restrictions by governments, Travel Pass is undoubtedly the best go-to app for passengers to access the most updated travel information, ensure they comply with the latest entry requirements and allow them to manage their digital health documents in a safe and secure way.”
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