Copa Airlines looks to introduce IATA’s health passport

Copa Airlines and the IATA will partner to trial the IATA Travel Pass in Latin America, starting in March. The Panamanian carrier will be the first to introduce IATA’s mobile app in the Americas. IATA’s Travel Pass will effectively act as a ‘digital passport’ for travelers. It is the airline industry’s latest tool to fight against the spread of COVID-19, said Akbar Al Baker, Qatar’s CEO, last month. The digital passport will allow passengers to match their travel itineraries with their destination’s COVID-19 health requirements and validate that they comply with these. It will “simplify and enhance compliance with health requirements for our passengers. An international standard solution for digital health passports holds the key to the safe restart of the travel and tourism industry,” said Dan Gunn, Copa’s Senior VP for operations. Copa Airlines is barely just restarting its operations after months grounded. Ivan Eskildsen, the administrator of the Panama Tourism Authority, said, “The Government of Panama supports the implementation of this important tool developed by IATA that, through its integration with different stakeholders, will allow passengers to comply with our health requirements, thus restoring confidence in travel and tourism, important pillars for the country’s economic recovery.” <br/>