Air New Zealand will test its digital immunization passport in April on flights between Auckland and Sydney and Qantas is investigating similar technologies.
As vaccination begins in Australia, concern has shifted to the resumption of international travel and how Australia can track whether potential visitors have been vaccinated.
Several technology companies have been working with the World Health Organization to create a secure digital recording system that can be used to prove to airlines and governments that passengers have received the Covid vaccine.
Travel Pass
One such app, Travel Pass, developed by the International Air Transport Association, will be marketed and trialed by Air New Zealand from April to “streamline the health verification process to help customers know what they need to take their next international trip safely”.
When someone is vaccinated or tested, a medical center or lab can safely send that information to the app, which can be monitored and evaluated by the travel needs of the country they are trying to visit. With the consent of the customer, this health information may be shared with airlines or border controls to determine their suitability for travel.
The airline is still in conversations with governments about integrating the app into vaccination and testing procedures.
Other Apps
A statement from the Australian Department of Health said it was looking forward to reviewing the results of the Air New Zealand case.
“The Australian government supports measures to ensure the safety of Australian public through proper data collection and verification of traveler information while adhering to strict privacy principles,” he said.
A similar app, Health Pass by the company Clear, has been used in other US airports to control travel.
Air New Zealand said the digital passport did not use any “central database storing personal information”.
“Customer privacy is at the heart of the design … rather it is shared at the travellers’ discretion, in a safe and secure way,” the company said in a statement.
Travel Will Look Very Different
It’s unclear how useful this trial will be, unless a reciprocal travel bubble between the two countries is in place by April. Also, the government estimates only one in six Australians will be vaccinated by that point.
Air New Zealand’s chief digital officer, Jennifer Sepull, said the app would give customers “peace of mind that they meet all travel requirements for the different countries around the world before they even get to the airport”.
“Once borders reopen, travel is going to look very different,” she said in a statement.
“Reassuring customers that travel is, in fact, safe is one of our priorities. By using the app, customers can have confidence that everyone onboard meets the same government health requirements they do.”
The IATA vice-president, Nick Careen, said he hoped the application would allow these countries to reduce international border restrcitions quickly.
“[The trial] will help give governments the confidence to reopen borders and passengers the confidence to travel,” he said.
“The app has been developed with the highest levels of data privacy and security … and governments can be confident that passengers who are ‘OK to travel’ are in full compliance of Covid-19 travel requirements.”
The trial will begin when the app is launched for public use in April and will run for three weeks. Air NewZealand said both flight crews and customers would be invited to pick up a digital passport.
