What is the COVID-19 passport? All you need to know about the IATA Travel Pass
Flying during the pandemic is expected to get easier through a ‘vaccine passport’
Dubai: On September 23, Emirates airlines announced that it would soon be using the IATA Travel Pass on all its 120+ destinations by October 2021. It is currently being used on around 50 routes that the airline serves. If you have been wondering what exactly the IATA Travel Pass is and how you can use it to make travelling easier and safer, here is all you need to know.
IATA Travel Pass
The IATA Travel Pass was launched by International Air Transport Association (IATA). It is a smartphone app, which provides a digital platform to assist travellers before, during, or after the flight. According to the IATA website, the travel pass provides:
Governments with the means to verify the authenticity of tests or vaccinations and the identity of those presenting their certificates.
Airlines with the ability to provide accurate information to their passengers on test requirements and verify that a passenger meets the requirements for travel.
Laboratories with the means to issue certificates to passengers that will be recognised by governments, and
Travellers with accurate information on test requirements, where they can get tested or vaccinated, and the means to securely convey the results/certificates to airlines and border authorities
When do I need to present the IATA Travel Pass?
The IATA Travel Pass is currently being used on certain routes by UAE-based airlines as well.
According to the Etihad Airlines website, it is currently available on all Etihad flights between Abu Dhabi and Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Paris, Rome, Singapore, Vienna and Zurich.
Emirates Airlines has also said that it currently uses the pass on 50 routes and soon plans to roll it out to all the destinations they serv.