In December 2020, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that it is developing a new digital health credential solution built utilizing blockchain that has the potential to reopen international travel and replace compulsory quarantine measures. In an article in FTA where they interviewed Murray Hayden, Head Airport passenger and security products at IATA, the article noted that both UAE Emirates Airlines and Etihad will be trialing the blockchain enabled solution. According to the statement in the article, "Emirates, Etihad, Singapore Airlines and British Airways are among the first airlines to trial the IATA Travel Pass. Etihad and Emirates announced trials starting in April." Prior to a full roll out, Emirates will implement phase 1 in Dubai for the validation of COVID-19 PCR tests before departure. In this initial phase, expected to begin in April 2021, Emirates customers travelling from Dubai will be able to share their COVID-19 test status directly with the airline even before reaching the airport through the app, which will then auto-populate the details on the check-in system. According to Etihad airlines travel pass is a priority for the airline.
For Etihad Airways, the IATA Travel Pass will initially be offered to 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.
Travel Pass is a mobile app that will enable travellers to store and manage verified information on their health status, COVID-19 tests and vaccines, in line with any government requirements for testing or vaccine information. The concept of health passports has been around for a while – think Yellow Fever card – but digitising it will lead to more security and efficiency than traditional paper-based processes. “If we look at the broader picture, what has really been driving this initiative is the way quarantine measures are heavily impacting the air transport industry,” Hayden tells FTE. “Earlier in the year we saw that when the Canary Islands lifted their quarantine, the load factors for airlines skyrocketed overnight. The solution to that is testing.”









