The Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) is the latest carrier in the region to announce its trial of the IATA travel pass, starting on April 19 with the Kuala Lumpur-Jeddah route.
The national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia and The International Air Transport Association (IATA), announced on Monday a partnership to trial IATA Travel Pass, a digital health pass in the form of a mobile app which aims to support the safe reopening of borders and assist the industry in its recovery from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Saudia is keen to partner with IATA in this innovative digital solution which will assist in steering industry recovery and facilitating the travel process for all stakeholders, the passenger, the airline, the testing labs and the border authorities,” said Khalid Albassam , CCO of Saudia.
“Saudia continues to lead the way in safety measures and ease of travel with electronic solutions and the IATA Travel Pass partnership is another reinforcement that readiness and usage of contactless methods is the way forward for travel journeys,” he added.
The IATA Travel Pass enables passengers to create digital passports where their test and vaccine data can be securely loaded and shared thereby ensuring that governmental health requirements are fulfilled both at the departure and destination points.
Passengers travelling with Saudia will be able to visit a designated laboratory in Malaysia to complete PCR test requirements, which can then be uploaded on the IATA Travel App for use in onward travel to Saudi Arabia.
Following the trial, and once the IATA Travel Pass is finalised, it will be rolled out across the airline’s network.
“We’re proud to work with Saudia to make IATA Travel Pass available in Saudi Arabia. This is the first step in making regional and international travel during the pandemic as convenient as possible giving people the confidence that they are meeting Covid-19 government health requirements,” said Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President for Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security.
“IATA Travel Pass holds the key to the safe restart of the travel and tourism industry, which is an important contributor to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s economy,” he added.
Saudia will be among the leading carriers to trial the Travel Pass along with Dubai’s Emirates, Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways and Bahrain’s Gulf Air. Qatar Airways was the first airline in the Middle East to begin the trials in mid-March.
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