British Airways has become the latest airline to trial the IATA Travel Pass as it looks for ways to help relaunch the travel and aviation sectors.
The Travel Pass, which offers a digital platform to store Covid-19 vaccination records and test results, has already been trialled on Singapore Airlines and approved for tests in Singapore.
Its roll-out on British Airways makes the IATA Travel Pass the third digital solution being trialled by the airline. It was developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), who were supported by British Airways’ parent company International Airlines Group.
British Airways Chairman and CEO Sean Doyle said: “We are committed to exploring ways to ensure that the customer journey is as frictionless as possible and sharing our learnings to help the travel industry take off again.
“We know that digital travel passes are part of the solution and they will also play a key role in offering those travelling the reassurance they need before they arrive at the airport. We hope to be able to offer a customer-friendly digital option for every British Airways international route that requires proof of government mandated Covid status documentation.”
The IATA Travel Pass can be downloaded onto a phone or mobile device from the app store and allows users to create a secure account where their test and vaccination records are stored. Travellers must still take the required Covid-19 test from an approved provider before travel. Once completed, the result is uploaded by the laboratory and the app notifies the user that they are cleared to travel.