Airlines opt for Covid testing
Both LATAM Airlines and Malaysia Airlines have enhanced their health risk management offerings to make way for negative testing requirements
LATAM Airlines is offering its passengers discounted Covid-19 tests at select laboratories in Chile, Peru, Colombia, Brazil and the US. The company says it has introduced the new practice in response to public demand.
“We are working hand in hand with certified laboratories with a high level of service to facilitate the sample-taking process for all our clients and provide the security of prompt attention at a preferential price,” it reads on the LATAM Airlines website.
Malaysia Airlines integrates IATA Travel Pass
Elsewhere, Malaysia Airlines has announced that it plans to introduce its Digital Travel Health Pass to facilitate safer air travel for its passengers. The pass will incorporate some modules from the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Travel Pass, and will be integrated into the Malaysia Airlines mobile app. From here, passengers can easily make appointments with certified medical partners to carry out a Covid-19 RT-PCR test or include their Covid-19 vaccination certificate on their mobile phones, making the process of travel requirements more straightforward, the Malaysia Airlines website reads.
The airline added: “This digital identification will pave the way for Malaysia Airlines’ passengers to eventually take advantage of contactless technology options throughout the travel processes.”
Demonstrating the IATA Travel Pass’s interoperability
Also commenting on the Digital Travel Health Pass, Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice-President Airport, Passenger, Cargo, Security, said: “Partnering with Malaysia Airlines to integrate IATA Travel Pass into the airlines’ own app is an important milestone for the IATA Travel Pass. It will demonstrate the apps interoperability, an important feature supporting its global uptake. Built with data privacy, security and convenience in mind, the IATA travel app is a solution that both governments and passengers can trust whether it is stand-alone or incorporated into an airline’s own travel app.”
In early February, Emirates began trialling a Covid testing app.