Singapore is breaking new ground with the official launch of a travel pass.
Travellers to Singapore will be able to use the International Air Transport Associations (IATA) Travel Pass app to enter the country from next month.
Passengers entering Singapore from May 1 will be able to upload their pre-departure Covid test results to the IATA app to share with their airline at check-in and with authorities on-arrival at Changi Airport.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), the launch is part of an on-going collaboration with IATA. Singapore Airlines (SIA) trialled the app on passengers flying from Singapore to London between March 15 and 28. According to the airline, the app was well received by passengers.
Following the successful trials, CAAS and IATA have now announced that Singapore’s border authorities will accept the Travel Pass as a valid form of presentation of Covid-19 departure tests.
Once downloaded onto a traveller's mobile phone, the pass can hold a digital identification comprising a photo and passport information. Flight details can also be uploaded and travellers can then book their departure Covid test with an accredited clinic via the app. The test results are uploaded and passengers receive a 'confirmation to fly' message, which can be shown to airline staff at check-in. Health data added to the app is shared locally in the individual's mobile phone rather than a central database.
Authorities said they will be working on further enhancements to the pass, including enabling QR scanning by immigration officers and back-end transmission of health credentials from the IATA pass to airlines’ and immigration authorities’ systems for boarding and pre-arrival clearance, as well as including digital vaccination certificates on the pass.
“This latest collaboration with IATA demonstrates our shared commitment to drive the adoption of digital health certificates and restore international air travel,” said CAAS director general Kevin Shum. “As we work to safely rebuild the Changi air hub, we will continue to explore other solutions that can provide similarly secure and verifiable means of sharing health certificates for safe international travel.”
The IATA Travel Pass will be available to download later this month. Passengers are asked to check with their airline for eligibility to use the pass.
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