Singapore Airlines to launch IATA’s new Health Pass App next week

Singapore Airlines will be the latest airline to pilot the new International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Health Pass Mobile Application for digital verification.

The second phase of SIA’s digital health verification process trials, which is based on the IATA Travel Pass framework, will begin with passengers travelling between Singapore and London from 15th March to 28th March.

Only for iOS users for now

The airline in a press release states that passengers with mobile phones running on Apple’s iOS operating system will be invited to download the IATA Travel Pass app. After downloading the app, they can create a digital ID comprising their profile photo and passport information and can also insert their flight information into the app.

You still need a hard copy

Subsequently, passengers can book their pre-departure COVID-19 test at one of seven participating clinics in Singapore. After registering at the clinic with the Travel Pass app, passengers will be able to view their test results and confirm to fly status directly on the app. The IATA’s Timatic registry will also provide the back-end information on the COVID-19 testing and entry requirements.

Before the flight departure, passengers will be needed to to show their confirmed status in the app to the check-in staff at Singapore’s Changi Airport. Along with the app, passengers will still need to bring a physical copy of the COVID-19 test results given to them by the clinic where the test was performed.

The information is only on the mobile ohone

Passengers will control how their personal information is shared as the data is stored only in the phone and not on any central database. It is hoped that consolidating the verification of health credentials in the app will lead to a more streamlined check-in process.

If the pilot program is successful, it will pave the way for the integration of the entire digital health verification process into the SingaporeAir mobile app from around mid-2021, again using IATA’s Travel Pass framework.

The carrier says that it will continue working closely with its partners in Singapore and worldwide to come up with a trouble-free travel experience for all its customers.

Speaking about the trials in the statement, Ms JoAnn Tan, Acting Senior Vice President Marketing Planning, Singapore Airlines said:

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. 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. This will help to provide a hassle-free digital solution for our customers in the new normal, and help to bring about a more seamless travel experience.

Mr. Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Airport, Passenger, Cargo, and Security said:

Our partnership with Singapore Airlines for the first full deployment of the IATA Travel Pass will help get the world flying again. In the immediate term, it is the solution for travellers to safely and securely manage their travel health credentials. In the longer term, the digital identity elements of the IATA Travel Pass will place Singapore Airlines passengers at the front of the queue for an even more convenient contactless travel experience.

SIA successfully completed 1st phase trials

SIA had trialled the first phase of its digital health verification process, the first in the world to be based on IATA’s Travel Pass framework, in December 2020. This allowed customers to easily and securely manage their travel, and helped to support the industry’s safe and calibrated recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Customers who took their Covid-19 tests at selected clinics in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur were given either digital or paper health certificates with a QR code. Airport check-in staff and Singapore’s immigration authority verified the authenticity of these certificates via a secure mobile app, and ensured that the customers met Singapore’s entry requirements.

The trial has since recorded more than 200 successful health certificate verifications by SIA check-in staff, with no fraudulent certificates detected.

Featured image by Singapore Airlines

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