Hong Kong Airlines is trialing Travel Pass, a digital health passport developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which will help both travellers and airlines manage verifiable health credentials for future travel.
Users will be provided with easy access to COVID-19 entry requirements for their destination and accredited testing centres at their departure point. They can also link their test results to a digital version of their passport created via the app.
This month, invited participants included Hong Kong Airlines crew were asked to download Travel Pass to create a digital profile before choosing a participating medical service provider for testing. A secure, encrypted channel will then enable the registered laboratory to verify the passenger’s identity and directly send the outcome of the COVID-19 test, or proof of vaccination to the traveller’s mobile device. This will then be checked against IATA’s global registry of COVID-19 health requirements to ensure regulatory requirements are complied, before the traveller receives an “OK to Travel”.
As a show of support, the Airport Authority of Hong Kong and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer were observers to the trial with Hong Kong Airlines on 24 May 2021. More trials will be scheduled on the same week.