Qatar Airways says first in Middle East to start IATA Travel Pass trial

The launch comes in partnership with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Qatar Ministry of Public Health, Primary Health Care Corporation and Hamad Medical Corporation.

Passengers on the airline’s Doha to Istanbul route became the first group to experience the Digital Passport app which aims to play an important role in the airline’s plan to have a more contactless travel experience for its passengers amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

IATA Travel Pass ensures passengers receive up-to-date information on Covid-19 health regulations at their destination country, as well as complying with strict global data privacy regulations to enable the sharing of Covid-19 test results with airlines to verify they are eligible to undertake their journey.

Emirates, Etihad Airways and Bahrain’s Gulf Air are also planning to trial the app.

Qatar Airways group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are the industry’s firmest advocate for introducing digital solutions to help passengers safely and seamlessly navigate complex and ever-changing entry restrictions across the globe.

“We have confidence in the credibility of the IATA Travel Pass as the industry’s most reliable and innovative solution given its strong data privacy compliance, long-standing entry rules engine and ability to provide an end-to-end solution. We are proud to be at the forefront of trialling this platform, being one of the first globally and the first airline in the Middle East to trial the technology.

“With the strictest data privacy regulations, IATA Travel Pass is a huge step towards proving that ICAO’s global standards for digital passports do work. It will also assist in laying the foundation for governments across the world to come together in the development of standardised regulations to reduce the current patchwork of red tape across the international travel industry.”

Alexandre de Juniac, IATA director general and CEO, added: “Qatar Airways’ full deployment of IATA Travel Pass is a significant milestone in restarting global connectivity. Governments are requiring testing or vaccination certifications to enable travel and the IATA travel app helps travellers to securely and conveniently manage and provide their credentials.

“All passengers using IATA Travel Pass can be confident that their data is protected and governments can trust that the “OK to travel” means both a genuine credential and a verified identity.”