All Nippon Airways Co. on Monday started a trial of a mobile app developed by a global industry body to certify passengers' coronavirus status as part of efforts to help revive international travel.
ANA will trial the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Pass on its flights connecting Tokyo with Honolulu and New York until June 6. The smartphone app shows travelers' polymerase chain reaction test results — currently a condition of entry for most countries — and vaccination status.
A 52-year-old man who took part in the trial at Tokyo's Haneda Airport said, "It was convenient because I had only to show my smartphone."
A total of 32 airliners have said they will join the trial, according to ANA, which already tested a similar app backed by the World Economic Forum called CommonPass in March.
The trial comes as Japan plans to introduce "vaccine passports" to make it easier for people who have been inoculated against COVID-19 to travel internationally.
"As it is important to create an environment in which (passengers) can travel with peace of mind, the aviation industry has high hopes" for the IATA app, said Tadashi Matsushita, an ANA executive in charge of the project, adding that the company wants to put it into practice as soon as it can.
"IATA Travel Pass enables passengers to easily verify whether they meet the COVID-19 testing requirements of their destination and share their test results with airlines and authorities in a secure way," ANA President Yuji Hirako said earlier this year in a statement.