A partnership between International Air Transport Association and Etihad means Etihad flyers can now travel securely during Covid times.
It’s a world first for Etihad Airway as it launches the IATA Travel Pass, being one of the first airlines globally to do so.
The International Air Transport Association and Etihad Airways have partnered to launch the IATA Travel Pass mobile app.
The app is said to help passengers easily and securely manage their travel in line with government requirements for COVID-19 tests or vaccines.
The IATA Travel Pass will initially be offered to Etihad’s guests on selected flights from Abu Dhabi in the first quarter of 2021. If successful, the pass will be extended to other destinations on the Etihad network, according to a statement issued by the airline.
How does it work?
The IATA Travel Pass will enable Etihad’s guests to create a ‘digital passport’ to receive COVID test results and verify they are eligible to undertake their journey.
Importantly, the Travel Pass will keep passengers in control of their data and facilitate the sharing of their test with airlines and authorities for travel. It will also make it convenient for passengers to manage travel documentation throughout their journey.
“COVID-19 tests and vaccinations will be key to get the world flying again.”
“Since 1 August, 2020, Etihad is the only airline requiring a pre-departure negative PCR test result for all passengers worldwide, and again on arrival in Abu Dhabi, giving our guests the added assurance of safety when they travel with us,” said Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer, Etihad Aviation Group.”
“A high priority for Etihad is for our guests to have an easy, secure and efficient way to identify and verify their information.”
“Being one of the first airlines globally working with IATA as a pioneer partner on the IATA Travel Pass is a big step forward for Etihad’s guests and for the industry.”
For his part, Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President, Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security, said, “The Etihad Airways partnership to launch the IATA Travel Pass is an important milestone on the road to meaningfully restarting international travel.
“Our aim is to give all governments the confidence to re-open borders to travellers based on verified vaccine and testing data.”
“The initial stage of the Etihad launch will focus on all four elements of the IATA Travel Pass modules, one of the first airlines in the world to do so.”
The IATA Travel Pass has been developed as four independent modules that can interact with each other. These modules cover registries for regulatory entry requirements and labs/test centres, verified certificate issuance, digital identity and the possibility for passengers to share their tests results along their journey via their mobile device.
