China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) yesterday announced that they are to trial the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Travel Pass, a mobile application that allows people to store and share verified certification of COVID-19 tests or vaccination.
CAL from Aug. 30 would use the IATA’s digital initiative for passengers flying to Taiwan from five airports in North America — Los Angles, Ontario, San Francisco, New York and Vancouver — and from Frankfurt, Germany; London; and Singapore, it said in a statement.
CAL would consider Travel Pass for more flights after it and the IATA evaluate the trial, the airline said.
Photo courtesy of China Airlines Ltd
EVA Air said in a statement that after four months of discussions with the IATA, from next month it is to test the mobile application for people flying from Paris to Taiwan.
The Travel Pass is expected to help airlines to assess certifications for COVID-19 tests or vaccinations more efficiently and conveniently than the paper-based process, the two airlines said.
Before departure, passengers would download the Travel Pass app, which would inform them which type of COVID-19 test or vaccination is required for the journey, as well as where they can get tested or vaccinated, the airlines said.
After they are tested or vaccinated at a lab or test center authorized by the Travel Pass, certification would be securely sent to the app to be stored, they said.
They would show the certification to airlines, which would not involve physical contact, the airlines said.
“It is foreseeable that for a long while, passengers will need to have a negative polymerase chain reaction test result and vaccination certificate before boarding a plane, as governments do not intend to relax such restrictions even as borders reopen,” EVA Air said.
Digital tools such as Travel Pass would play an important role in borders reopening, as they reduce physical contact during the data verification process and help airlines avoid misreading data, EVA said.
As governments are updating travel restrictions amid changes in the COVID-19 situation, digital initiatives would also provide passengers the latest information and ensure that they meet the latest requirements, EVA Air said.
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