Vaccination passport: airlines will offer their "Travel Pass" from the end of March

In the midst of a debate on the establishment of vaccine passports, supposed to facilitate the resumption of travel by providing proof that a tourist has received his injections, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) wants to contribute.

Its “all-in-one” digital passport, the Travel Pass, will be ready by the end of March, announces the structure, which represents 290 airlines around the world

.

Presented in the form of a mobile application, it is intended to be a digitalization solution for all travel formalities, from the most classic to the certified Covid test, including proof of the double dose of vaccine.

For Alexandre de Juniac, CEO of Iata,

“it is a key tool, absolutely essential for closing the loop and

restarting

air traffic.

We want to give confidence to governments, the Travel Pass must allow them to check all their health requirements on departure and arrival ”

.

Read also: The vaccine, the new sesame for travel?

Only about twenty companies in the ranks

This “digital passport” is currently being tested with passengers from the IAG group (British Airways, Iberia) and Singapore Airlines.

But to date, out of the 290 Aita approved airlines that handle 82% of global air traffic, only eighteen of them, including Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways, have already signed user protocols.

A first country, Panama, recognized the Travel Pass.

“We expect to sign agreements with more states.

We provide them with a reliable solution

,

”

says Alexandre de Juniac.

Read also: Covid-19 and travel: February reservations, vaccination passport ... the latest information

No French airline is in the loop at the moment.

But at Air France, we say we are monitoring this development very closely.

"We are in favor of this digitization, which has two advantages: improving the fluidity of airport operations, and preventing fraud,"

informs the management of the company at

Le Figaro.

Read also: Passenger transfer between Air France and Transavia: are customers the big losers?

The Travel Pass should facilitate checks at airports by centralizing travel documents and test or vaccination certificates.

IATA

The app is built on four pillars, according to Iata.

First, access for passengers to a database listing all of the States' requirements for entry into their territory, a compendium that has been kept up to date for ten years.

Access, then, to a list of nearby laboratories and vaccination centers.

Third, the Travel Pass gives the possibility to test and vaccination centers to be able to certify the passenger's medical information.

Finally, and this is the most delicate point, the application allows, depending on the choice of the passenger, to transmit his medical information to the airports and / or to the companies he uses.

"In no case does the Iata keep this kind of personal data",

assures Alexandre de Juniac.

Read also: Covid-19: these companies which are already developing the vaccine passport of tomorrow