by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 12:31 PM ET, Tue January 19, 2021
Etihad Airways and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced a partnership to use the IATA Travel Pass, an app developed to store COVID-19 test results or vaccine information, for Etihad Airways' passengers.
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is one of the first airlines in the world to use the IATA Travel Pass. It will be offered to passengers on select flights from Abu Dhabi within the first quarter of 2021. If it is successful, it will be extended to more flights.
The IATA Travel Pass was designed as a 'digital passport' to receive COVID-19 test results and verify that passengers are eligible to fly, using the information provided by the world's governments. Passengers will also be able to share the results with airlines for travel in a paper- and contact-free way.
"COVID-19 tests and vaccinations will be key to get the world flying again..." said Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer, Etihad Aviation Group. "A high priority for Etihad is for our guests to have an easy, secure and efficient way to identify and verify their information. Being one of the first airlines globally working with IATA as a pioneer partner on the IATA Travel Pass is a big step forward for Etihad's guests and for the industry."
The IATA Travel Pass has four main components. The four modules are as follows: registry for regulatory entry requirements and lab or test centers, verified certificate issuance, digital identity and the ability for passengers to share their test results. These parts can work by themselves, altogether or with other industry solutions, making it a collaborative step that could be adopted by other airlines.
"The Etihad Airways partnership to launch the IATA Travel Pass is an important milestone on the road to meaningfully restarting international travel. Our aim is to give all governments the confidence to re-open borders to travellers based on verified vaccine and testing data. The initial stage of the Etihad launch will focus on all four elements of the IATA Travel Pass modules, one of the first airlines in the world to do so," said Nick Careen, IATA's Senior Vice President, Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security.
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