The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is planning to roll out blockchain-based digital passports. The digital passports will carry holders’ health information such as their COVID-19 testing and vaccination status.
According to a Cointelegraph report, a “health” passport is necessary as the IATA hopes to lift the ban on international travel and other restrictions. With plans to begin trials as soon as February, the report further noted that the digital passport would be installed on users’ smartphones in the form of an app.
Four airlines have signed up to participate in the upcoming trial. They are Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Etihad, and Emirates. British Airways and Singapore Airlines would begin the initial phase of the trial in February.
The blockchain-based passport, also known as the IATA travel Pass, would help travelers have complete control over their data. The four major interactive features of the Travel Pass are; the digital passport module, a lab app, a global registry of vaccination centers, and a global registry of updated health details.
The head of airport, passenger, and security products at IATA, Alan Murray Hayden, said:
“This is the beauty of the technology we’re using; it puts the passenger in complete control of their data. There’s no central database and nobody can hack it. The passenger owns their data and they share it with the airline. It’s so powerful and it’s probably one of the first ever examples of blockchain technology being implemented in a way that benefits people.”
Image Credits: Pixabay
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