Emirates has become the first airline to introduce the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) Travel Pass solution at various destinations across six continents. The airline has rolled out its digital health pass to assist customers at various destinations across the world.

In June, Emirates gradually diversified its IATA Travel Pass pilot on 12 routes after achieving success in trials conducted in April on select routes from its Dubai hub.

Now, the airline has extended the IATA travel pass across its global network with the aim of enhancing customer experience and strengthening the reach of the digital solution. Currently, the IATA travel pass is available to Emirates customers travelling from 50 cities, with more destinations expected to be join the solution by October.

Speaking about the development, Adel Al Redha, Emirates' Chief Operating Officer, underlined that the airline has continued to invest in technology and solutions such as the IATA Travel Pass to offer smooth journeys and contactless experiences to all customers. These efforts also enable Emirates' airport teams to efficiently manage document checks in compliance with regulatory requirements.

Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President Operations, Safety and Security, also affirmed that the implementation of the IATA Travel Pass by Emirates across its global network has showcased its key role as significant tool in managing the complex myriad of health credentials needed in post-pandemic travel.

"By providing passengers with a one-stop-shop to demystify, manage and process these credentials through a secure automated process, they can arrive at the airport ready-to-fly using automated processes. This will avoid queuing and congestion for document checks - to the benefit of travelers, airlines, airports and governments," he added.

Some of the main features of the IATA Travel Pass include repository of latest travel requirements to enable passengers in finding accurate information related to testing and vaccine requirements for their journey. It also consists of a registry of testing centres to allow passengers to get themselves tested from certified COVID-19 testing centres at their departure location as per relevant safety protocols of the destination country.

Furthermore, the travel pass provides the facility of digital documentation to allow passengers in digital management of relevant documents. The pass helps through various steps ranging from receiving test results and vaccination certificates directly from authorised labs and test centres to securely sharing crucial travel documents with concerned authorities and airlines to facilitate smooth travel.

As of now, there are more than 1,500 COVID-19 test labs registered on the IATA Travel Pass app and the number continues to grow.

WAM