Time may come soon when one would have to carry a COVID passport to the airport. If things go as planned, leading international airlines are designing a system to ease out the pre-boarding requirement around the world which would necessitate carrying of a COVID passport along with the original passport.
Airline lobbying body, (International Air Transport Association) IATA, is designing a mobile app that will display the COVID-19 free status of a passenger and act like a COVID passport to ease out the process of pre-boarding requirement around the world.
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The travel pass will show test results together with proof of inoculation, as well as listing national entry rules and details of the nearest labs. The app will also link to an electronic copy of the traveller's passport to prove one's identity, the IATA has said.
With the first vaccine expected to be available in the coming months, airlines are toying with various ideas to devise mechanisms to monitor travellers’ COVID credentials and combat false claims from people desperate to fly.
The race is on to establish a global standard and deploy technology post-COVID vaccination period.
Though IATA’s plan is in its nascent stage, the CommonPass app developed by the World Economic Forum and non-profit Commons Project Foundation has been tested on flights between London and New York. Another AOKpass from travel security firm, International SOS, is in use between Abu Dhabi and Pakistan.
As planned, the app will be made available for Apple and Android devices from April next year. A test program will begin with British Airways' parent IAG SA this year. Travellers will be able to share their status with border authorities or present a QR code for scanning.