Ryanair chief doubts digital health passports will take off

Processes for passengers to prove either Covid-19 vaccination or negative test results are likely to play a role in the opening up of European airline markets, but more comprehensive digital health passports are not, in the view of Ryanair group CE Michael O’Leary. O’Leary said he worries “when people talk about digital health passes and digital passports etc, etc”. He expresses doubt that there will be “international agreement on what a digital health pass will even look like”, and believes that “governments will not be in a position to produce” such passports. Rather, O’Leary reckons “the best we will manage as an industry” in the coming summer season will be a system where passengers “upload vaccine certificates or negative PCR certificates”. Earlier in March, Ryanair launched a “Covid-19 Travel Wallet” through its app, enabling customer to upload “their negative PCR tests, their Covid vaccination certificates and other Covid documents that may be required for EU travel this summer”. O’Leary further cites the system adopted in Israel, “where the citizenry have the green vaccine certificate uploaded to their mobile app” to allow access to hospitality venues, saying: “I think we will have a similar system here this summer”. IATA – which has its Travel Pass app in trials with a number of airlines – has expressed concern that some governments are not taking the necessary steps to ensure the standards and processes will be in place for their widespread use.<br/>