SINGAPORE — Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced it is now the world’s first airline to pilot the IATA Travel Pass mobile app for digital health verification.

SIA’s launch of the pass started March 15, 2021 and runs through March 28, 2021 with passengers travelling from Singapore to London.

It marks the second phase of SIA’s digital health verification process trials, which is based on the IATA Travel Pass framework.

Passengers with mobile phones running on Apple’s iOS operating system can download the IATA Travel Pass app, and create a digital ID comprising their profile photo and passport information. They can also insert their flight information into the app. They can also book their pre-departure Covid-19 test at one of seven participating clinics in Singapore via a dedicated online portal. They can then register at the clinic using the digital ID and flight information in the app.

SIA says participants will need to show their confirmed status in the app to the check-in staff in Changi Airport before flight departure. In line with current regulatory requirements, they will also need to bring a physical copy of their health certificate that is issued by the clinic where they took their Covid-19 test.

If successful, the pilot will pave the way for the integration of the entire digital health verification process into the SingaporeAir mobile app from around mid-2021, again using IATA’s Travel Pass framework.

Says Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Airport, Passenger, Cargo, and Security: “Our partnership with Singapore Airlines for the first full deployment of the IATA Travel Pass will help get the world flying again. In the immediate term, it is the solution for travellers to safely and securely manage their travel health credentials. In the longer term, the digital identity elements of the IATA Travel Pass will place Singapore Airlines passengers at the front of the queue for an even more convenient contactless travel experience.”

THAI AIRWAYS SIGNS ON FOR IATA TRAVEL PASS TRIAL

Meanwhile THAI Airways and THAI Smile have come onboard with the IATA Travel Pass too.

“The IATA Travel Pass will be more  secure and efficient than current paper processes used to manage health requirements. This will be  important given the potentially enormous scale of testing or vaccine verifications that will need to  be securely managed,” say the airlines.

Chansin Treenuchagron, Acting President, Thai Airways International Public Company Limited and Charita Leelayudh, CEO, THAI Smile Airways both signed  agreements to pilot the IATA Travel Pass.

Other carriers that have signed on to use the IATA Travel Pass include Emirates, Etihad and Copa.

Last month Air New Zealand announced it will trial the IATA Travel Pass on its Auckland-Sydney route in April 2021.