[ad_1]
SINGAPORE – Travelers flying with Singapore Airlines (SIA) will be able to view Covid-19 test results and use them to check in at Changi Airport with a single app, which could pave the way for travel without stay-at-home notices nor quarantine.
The software has been developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to make travel smoother amid the pandemic. It works by integrating Covid-19 tests with passengers’ boarding credentials.
SIA is the world’s first airline to use the IATA Travel Pass in a trial, which will begin with passengers flying from Singapore to London on March 15-28. If this is successful, the application could be deployed globally.
SIA said on Monday (March 8) that the test could allow it to use the framework for its own SingaporeAir mobile app in mid-2021.
“Participants will have full control over how their personal information is shared, as the data is stored locally on the mobile phone and not in any central database. This is critical given the highly sensitive nature of health data,” He said.
There are currently seven participating clinics in Singapore where passengers can book their tests for testing on an online portal.
IATA will provide the background information on the entry requirements so that doctors and passengers can meet them on their flights.
Due to current regulatory requirements, they will still need to bring a physical copy of their health certificate issued by the clinic to the airport.
It should be on a voluntary basis, and those with mobile phones running Apple’s iOS operating system should be invited to download the app on their phones.
Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president of airports, passengers, cargo and security, said the test could put SIA passengers “at the head of the queue” for future trips.
The last test is the second phase of the SIA IATA test. The first was in December last year, where those who took their Covid-19 tests at select clinics in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur received health certificates with a QR code.
Check-in staff at the airport and Singapore’s immigration authority verified the certificates using a mobile app.
More than 200 health certificates have been verified in this way, with no fraudulent certificates being detected, the SIA said.
Separately, Singapore is working so that all clinics authorized to test for Covid-19 prior to departure can issue certificates of digital test results by Wednesday.
This will be based on an open source framework called HealthCerts, which will allow digital certificates to be endorsed by the Ministry of Health so that they can be recognized at airports both locally and abroad.
The Straits Times understands that GovTech is working to make HealthCerts interoperable with the IATA travel pass.
[ad_2]
