Etihad begins IATA Travel Pass trials on flights to North America

Travellers will be able to create a digital passport to receive COVID-19 test results

From now until 31 May, Etihad Airways passengers travelling from Abu Dhabi to cities in North America including Chicago, New York, Washington and Toronto will be able to trial the IATA Travel Pass app.

The IATA Travel Pass will enable users to create a ‘digital passport’ to receive COVID-19 test results and verify if they are eligible to travel. The app has been designed to allow passengers to stay in control of their data and facilitate the sharing of their test results with airlines and the concerned authorities.

The airline said that its passengers participating in the IATA Travel Pass pilot scheme will benefit from priority queue access at Life Diagnostics and Biogenix Labs for their PCR tests, faster check-in at the airport and a free 90MB Wi-Fi voucher to use in-flight.

To participate in the trial, passengers flying from Abu Dhabi to the cities mentioned above must download the IATA Travel Pass app and book a PCR test appointment with Life Diagnostics at Sultan Bin Zayed the First Street or BioGenix Labs in Masdar City and state that they are participating in the trial. Once the test results are ready, travellers will be able to view them on both the IATA Travel Pass app and on the testing clinic’s digital platform.

Speaking about the aim of the initiative, Etihad Aviation Group COO Mohammad Al Bulooki said: “Etihad has partnered with IATA so that together, a globally unified approach to a travel pass can be simplified to make travel easier once governments decide what regulations are required to cross borders in either direction.”

IATA senior vice president for Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security, Nick Careen added: “Etihad Airways trial of IATA Travel Pass will help build confidence among governments and travellers that digital health apps can safely, securely and conveniently help restart aviation. The app gives travellers a one-stop-shop to help them comply with the new rules for travel, and gives governments complete assurance in the identity of the passenger and the authenticity of the travel credentials being presented.”

Elsewhere in the UAE, Dubai-based Emirates commenced trials of IATA Travel Pass on 15 April on select flights from Dubai to Barcelona, and from London Heathrow to Dubai.

Guests who do not wish to participate in the trial can continue to follow the existing method of sharing PCR test results with Etihad by presenting a printed copy of their results at check in.

For more information, visit www.etihad.com