IATA releases key design elements of travel passes

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released the key design elements of the IATA Travel Pass, a a mobile application that provides government regulations and requirements on covi testing or vaccine information, helping travelers manage travel easily and safely.

Alexandre de Juniac, Chairman and CEO of the International Air Transport Association, said, “Testing is an instant solution to safely reopen borders and reconnect people. The ultimate solution is of course vaccination. Under which scenario, it is important to adopt a secure system to manage new crown pneumonia virus testing or vaccination information."

IATA Travel Pass  is a proposed solution that travelers and governments can trust. The top priority is data security, convenience and authenticity.

IATA released three key design elements to emphasize priorities:

1. Travelers can independently control their personal information to ensure the highest level of data security and data privacy. The IATA Travel Pass stores encrypted data (including verified test or vaccination results) on the traveler's mobile device. Travelers use their mobile phones to grasp the information shared by airlines and government agencies. There is no central database or data repository to store information. By giving travelers 100% control over their information, the highest level of data privacy is ensured. It is based on the highest standards of data protection laws, including the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR).

Technically speaking, this application is built according to the principle of self-sovereign identity (SSI). The IATA Travel Pass is scheduled to be released in the early first quarter of 2021 and is available for Android and Apple phones. Apple mobile phones will use the "Secure Enclave" module of Apple devices, and Android systems use similar security encryption technology.

2. Global standards recognized by governments to ensure identification and testing/vaccine information.

a. Identification: The ePassport issued by the government is used to identify the user's identity. You can also create a user's digital passport, send information in a secure manner, and associate it with the verified identity. The key lies in the global standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that match biometric passport data and user selfies. A Type 1 digital travel document (verified digital identity**) that meets ICAO standards will be created.

b. Verified test results or vaccine information: The main vaccination requirement currently entering some countries is yellow fever. According to the International Health Regulations, it is managed through the "Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate" or the International Vaccination and Prevention Certificate. The World Health Organization (WHO) is developing digital standards to make these standards more secure and will greatly reduce fraud. Once ready, the IATA Travel Pass will comply with this new global standard.

Before the new crown pneumonia vaccine is widely vaccinated, the first task is to test the new crown pneumonia virus. The laboratory has complete safety standards to manage and verify individual test results. IATA is working with selected and well-equipped laboratories to securely link their test results with the identity of the holder of the IATA Travel Pass.

3. Integration with non-contact travel processes will improve convenience and biosecurity. The ICAO Aviation Resuscitation Working Group’s recommendations on biosafety include the use of non-contact travel procedures to reduce the risk of virus transmission when documents need to be exchanged during travel.

For many years, the industry has been developing a contactless travel process as part of the One ID conversion plan. The IATA Travel Pass digital identity management module adopts the perfect principle of One ID (based on the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization). For passengers, it means that the IATA Travel Pass (International Air Transport Association Travel Pass) will also open the convenient contactless travel process from check-in to boarding. Therefore, when we overcome the covid epidemic, the need for new crown pneumonia virus verification may eventually disappear, but the IATA Travel Pass is still taking a big step forward in implementing contactless travel.

The IATA study on the covid epidemic (September 2020) shows that the non-contact process will be welcomed by passengers:

70% of passengers have concerns about the airline agent, security officer or government official who handed over their passport, phone number or boarding pass to the airport

85% of passengers said that the contactless handling of the entire airport will make them feel safer and

· 44% of passengers have expressed their willingness to share personal data for contactless processing. This proportion has risen sharply from 30% in June.

Interoperability solution

The IATA Travel Pass has four independent modules that can be interoperable. These modules will cover registries and laboratories/testing centers that regulate access requirements, verified certificate issuance, digital identities, and passengers sharing their test results via mobile devices during the journey. Open standards allow these modules to be used as a solution, or to supplement functions being developed by other solution providers.

IATA Timatic products are the basic element of the IATA Travel Pass. For decades, it has been providing reliable information on entry requirements for airlines and passengers. Integrating Timatic into the IATA Travel Pass entry requirements registration module provides a basis for the global collection, verification, update and sharing of this information.