IATA gains another airline partner to trial IATA Travel Pass

Korean Air customers will be among the first in the world to have access to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) app that provides a secure system to manage their COVID-19 testing and vaccination information digitally.

Korean Air will test the digital IATA Travel Pass to prepare the world for safe and convenient air travel in the post-COVID-19 era. The trial is planned for the airline’s Incheon to Los Angeles flight in May 2021 after an internal test in April 2021.

The IATA Travel Pass can show a passenger’s COVID-19 test results through a mobile phone application and will be further developed to include proof of vaccination.

As COVID-19 vaccinations become widely available and travel demand recovers, COVID-19 vaccination and test results will be critical. However, it is difficult for governments to validate paper vaccination certifications or COVID-19 test results and, as a result, immigration procedures are expected to take longer. There is also the possibility of paper certificates being forged. 

The IATA Travel Pass has been developed to not only solve such problems, but also to encourage safe travel between countries by standardising health verification through a credible platform. IATA has been working closely with governments to gain their support for the travel pass initiative. 

“Partnering with Korean Air to trial the IATA Travel Pass is an important milestone towards giving governments the confidence to restart the industry. Jointly, we will help to demonstrate that aviation has developed a solution to ensure that passengers are meeting travel requirements,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President of Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security.

“We believe that the digital travel pass will improve customer experience for passengers, as they can share health information in a convenient and secure manner and save processing time at the airports,” said Korean Air’s Chief Customer Service Officer, Seungbum Lee. “Korean Air will continue its efforts to provide a safe and seamless travel experience through initiatives such as the travel pass.”

Korean Air plans to trial the IATA Travel Pass in May 2021 on the airline’s Incheon to Los Angeles flight. As part of the goal to ‘Test & Fly’, passengers can take a COVID-19 antigen test at Incheon International Airport’s (ICN) testing centre and receive their results within an hour on the IATA Travel Pass mobile app, which passengers will need to install in advance.

Korean Air will cooperate with IATA to smoothly implement the IATA Travel Pass, while continuing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through its safety and cleanliness programme, ‘CARE FIRST’, which includes frequent and thorough disinfection of aircraft, fever checks and minimal contact between passengers and employees.