Iberia has become the first airline to trial the IATA Travel Pass on Latin-America routes, launching the digital health passport on its flights to Uruguay on April 10.
Passengers flying from Madrid to Montevideo on IB6011 will be the first to experience the technology, with passengers receiving an email in advance of the flight asking them to obtain the pass by following instructions on the carrier’s website.
Passengers must fill out a registration form, wait for a personalised invitation from IATA to create an account on the app and link it to their passport.
The IATA Travel Pass app enables passengers to receive Covid-19 test results and verify they are eligible to undertake their journey through an ‘OK to Travel’ status. The digital health verification app has been under development since last year, and over 20 airlines have signed up for trials in the coming weeks and months.
To understand more about Iberia’s partnership with IATA, see the video below:
Additionally, Spanish health care provider Quironprevencion, which Iberia partnered with last spring, is now an official provider of Covid-19 tests for the IATA Travel Pass trial.
Recoletas Red Hospitalaria and the Health area of Arquimea are also official test providers, and carry out PCR and antigen tests at Iberia’s T4 hub at Madrid airport.
Iberia’s Customers, Transformation, and Systems Director Gabriel Perdiguero commented:
“With safety our key consideration, we are counting on technology to reopen borders, encourage travel, and return to normal as quickly as possible. We are certain that the digital health passport will play a key role in this endeavour, and is the right path to facilitate the movement of people giving customers a simpler, faster, and more contactless airport experience.
“We want to accompany our customers in the digital transformation Iberia is experiencing, giving them new channels for interaction alongside traditional ones, and providing all possible support from the moment of booking to the end of their journey.
“To reopen our industry and travel in general calls for a great effort by all the players, ensuring interoperability, building secure platforms, and using the most advanced technology”.
Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security, added:
“Restarting aviation safely is critical to support the thousands of people that work in aviation and its related industries. Through its trial of IATA Travel Pass Iberia is helping to lay the foundation for a re-connected world in which health credentials will play a key role. And in the longer-term the digital identity elements of the IATA Travel Pass will place Iberia’s passengers at the front of the queue for an even more convenient contactless travel experience.”
Iberia also recently begun a trial of the Verifly digital health passport app on its Miami-New York route, allowing customers to verify Covid-19 test certificates before arriving at the airport.
For a look at the pros and cons of “vaccine passports”, and the different options being developed, see our recent features:
