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Vietjet to Trial IATA Travel Pass for International Flights

A Vietjet Airbus A321 on approach to Seoul Incheon International Airport. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Ben Suskind)

Having just restarted international flights that connected Vietnam with major hubs, such as Bangkok, Seoul, Tokyo and Taipei, Vietjet is now looking to adapt towards innovative solutions to bring the best experiences to its passengers. This includes passengers’ safety, which is why Vietjet has announced on Thursday that it would be participating in trailing the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Pass, the mobile application to help manage digital health credentials.

The IATA Travel Pass will ease passengers’ convenience in managing their health credentials according to the ever-changing government requirements for Covid-19 tests or vaccinations. It consists of four modules; namely a global registry of health requirements; an international registry of testing centers available; a laboratory application to safely share test and vaccination certifications with passengers and a contactless travel application that allows for passengers to create their own digital passport and manage all travel documentation digitally.

Through advanced digitization, the IATA Travel pass allows for passengers to always be in control of their personal data with their privacy protected and respected, as the application does not store any data centrally.

Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Airport, Passenger, Cargo, Security, said, “We look forward to working with Vietjet to trial IATA Travel Pass and demonstrate that digital health apps can securely, conveniently, and efficiently help manage passenger travel health credentials. This is a positive step forward towards restarting international aviation.”

The IATA Travel Pass team has been working closely with the airline – an IATA member – as well as significant Vietnamese authorities and governments to ensure the application product can readily support and facilitate safe international travel.

In response to the trial announcement, Vietjet Managing Director Dinh Viet Phuong shared, “Vietjet is one of the first airlines in the world to trial IATA Travel Pass. Vietjet strongly believes that with IATA Travel Pass, our passengers will get the best experience on their upcoming travels.”

Going Digital for Convenience

Vietjet has joined in the list of international carriers – amongst the likes of Air New Zealand, British Airways, Copa Airlines, Malaysia Airlines and RwandAir – to trial the IATA Travel Pass, as airlines are moving forward to ensuring not just the safety of passengers, but also efficient seamlessness of international connectivity.

Besides the IATA Travel Pass, other forms of applications, such as CommonPass – which was successfully trialled and completed by HK Express – have also sprung in on the market competition as more borders are approving and recognizing the use of such applications for verifications of Covid-19 test results and vaccinations certificates as an adaptation to unlocking the key to the revival of international tourism.

Fortunately for IATA, the IATA Travel Pass has been gaining popularity among the Gulf’s giant carriers, giving it a competitive advantage over its other competitors. IATA announced on Thursday that the IATA Travel Pass program would be “going live” in the Middle East soon, as travel restrictions in Europe and the U.S start to dwell down.

“We have received very positive feedback on the Iata travel pass,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

Charlotte Seet

Author

  • Charlotte Seet

    Fascinated by aircraft from a very young age, Charlotte’s dream was to work alongside the big birds one day. Pursuing her dream, she went on to achieve her diploma in Aviation Management and is currently working on her degree in Aviation Business in Administration with a minor in Air Traffic Management. When she’s not busy with school assignments, you can find her aircraft spotting for long hours at the airport. In Charlotte’s heart, the Queen of the Skies will always be her favorite aircraft.

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