Singapore Airlines First in World to Pilot IATA’s Travel Pass App

Singapore Airlines (SIA) will be the world’s first airline to pilot the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Travel Pass mobile application for digital health verification, starting with passengers travelling from Singapore to London from 15 to 28 March 2021.

The IATA Travel Pass is was created by the association aimed to help passengers easily and securely manage their travel in line with government requirements for coronavirus (Covid-19) testing or vaccine information.

This marks the second phase of SIA’s digital health verification process trials, which is based on the IATA Travel Pass framework.

“By consolidating the verification of health credentials into a single app, participants can expect a faster and more seamless check-in process,” an announcement by the airline said.

Participants will have full control over how their personal information is shared, as the data is stored locally in the mobile phone and not in any central database.

“This is critical given the highly sensitive nature of health data,” SIA said.

Participants will need to show their confirmed status in the app to the check-in staff in Changi Airport before flight departure. In line with current regulatory requirements, they will also need to bring a physical copy of their health certificate that is issued by the clinic where they took their Covid-19 test.

According to SIA, if successful, the pilot will pave the way for the integration of the entire digital health verification process into the SingaporeAir mobile app from around mid-2021, again using IATA’s Travel Pass framework.