Singapore Airlines will become the world’s first airline to fully deploy the International Air Transport Association’s Travel Pass mobile application for digital health verification, starting with passengers flying from Singapore to London from March 15 to 28. The pilot marks the second phase of SIA’s digital health verification process trials, based on the IATA Travel Pass framework.
The airline will invite passengers with mobile telephones running on the Apple iOS operating system to download the IATA Travel Pass app and create a digital ID consisting of their profile photo and passport information. They can also insert their flight information into the app.
Subsequently, they can book their pre-departure Covid-19 test at one of seven participating clinics in Singapore via a dedicated online portal. They then can register at the clinic using the digital ID and flight information in the app. Their test results, as well as confirmation of status to fly, will appear directly on the app.
Participants will need to show their confirmed status in the app to the check-in staff at Singapore Changi Airport before flight departure. In line with regulatory requirements, they will also need to bring a physical copy of their health certificate issued by the clinic where they took their Covid-19 tests.
If successful, the pilot will pave the way for the integration of the entire digital health verification process into the SingaporeAir mobile app starting around the middle of the year.
“The first phase of the trials helped to support SIA’s drive towards a secure and convenient industry standard for the verification of Covid-19 test results, and the health status of passengers including their vaccination status, in the future,” said Singapore Airlines acting v-p of marketing planning JoAnn Tan. “That gives us the confidence that in the second phase, we can further streamline the verification process for eventual integration into SIA’s mobile application.”
SIA tested the first phase of its digital health verification process, the first in the world based on IATA’s Travel Pass framework, in December 2020. Customers who took their Covid-19 tests at selected clinics in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur received either digital or paper health certificates with a QR code. Airport check-in staff and Singapore’s immigration authority verified the authenticity of the certificates via a secure mobile app and ensured that the customers met Singapore’s entry requirements.
The trial has since recorded more than 200 health certificate verifications by SIA check-in staff, with no fraudulent certificates detected.