Terminal operations
saying vaccination passports are going to be worthless, but it’s unlikely to be the thing that makes a big difference [to stopping the virus],” he says. “There are so many unknowns with transmissibility, there are so many variables between the vaccines.”
Avoid patchwork arrangements Nick Careen, senior vice-president of airport passenger cargo and security at IATA, says global standards for testing and vaccination regimes would help alleviate some of these problems. “If governments clearly recognise the same verified testing methods and vaccination results, it should not pose significant problems,” he says. “We believe it is critical that testing and vaccination certification and standards be harmonised globally to avoid the potential for confusion, not only for passengers but for airlines and border authorities. We need to avoid – at all costs – a patchwork arrangement of different testing and vaccinations being recognised by different countries.”
Careen says failure to reach international consensus would further delay the industry’s recovery from Covid-19 and lead to border restrictions being retained for an even longer period of time.
Harmonisation would also alleviate concerns over multiple apps and minimise any competition or confusion they caused. As a precaution, IATA is working with the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), WHO and others to develop certificates that will ensure “equivalence, mutual recognition and acceptance for travellers”, he says.
Even so, IATA hopes its product will become the app of choice for airlines. “It’s important to note that the Travel Pass is likely to be used by airlines under their own brand, so the Travel Pass that we are developing will appear to passengers as a travel pass offered by their airline and incorporated into their whole travel process,” he says. “We would be providing the architecture based on a tested system that is globally harmonised and secure.” Already more than a dozen airlines have signed on for the IATA solution.
Careen is confident of take-up despite the failure of Covid-19 ‘track and trace’ apps across multiple markets, including the UK and France, whose governments spent millions on apps that made little tangible difference to infection rates. “It is always possible that the failure of one or two apps could undermine the many, and that is why it is critical that IATA Travel Pass is a fully functional and secure app from day one.”
Data protection measures should safeguard passenger confidence. “Due to the level of data security and privacy the app has been designed with, people always remain in control of their information, which will allow them to feel more comfortable using the app,” he says. IATA says the app is a scalable and cost-effective solution that keeps personal data on the mobile device. Instead of acquiring data, Travel Pass facilitates the exchange of encrypted keys between stakeholders – including labs, airlines and authorities – via secured protocols that allow them to verify documents and, by extension, the biosafety of the flight.
IATA’s Travel Pass app will consolidate vaccination, testing and other health data to enable airlines to gauge a passenger’s Covid-19 status.
Future Airport /
www.futureairport.com 25
IATA
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