IATA says travel pass app will be launched in mid-April

Photo: AP

The world travel and tourist industries are struggling with Covid-19 related restrictions and the global recession, Reuters reported. In latest developments the industries seek for options to recover traveling by imposing certificates for passengers who were vaccinated against the virus.

Global airline industry body IATA said a digital travel pass for Covid-19 test results and vaccine certificates would be launched on the Apple platform in mid-April. The digital travel pass, currently in the testing phase, had been planned to be launched by the end of March. IATA Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East Kamil Alawadhi said it was expected to launch on the Apple platform around 15 April, and later for the Android platform.

“But the application will only achieve its success once airlines, different countries, airports adopt it,” Alawadhi said. UK-based carrier Virgin Atlantic said it would trial the IATA app on its London to Barbados route from 16 April. Barbados has said it will accept the pass at its border, one of the first countries to accept a digital pass instead of paper documentation. IATA has said its travel pass will help speed up check-ins.

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