Switzerland is continuing its trials of digital solutions aimed at reconciling travel and the pandemic. The airline is the first Lufthansa team to test the use of the IATA Travel Pass app. Switzerland is also studying the use of the EU Green Pass and the CommonPass.
The Swiss company is studying different digital vaccination certificates. (Source: Swiss International Air Lines Ltd)
The Swiss company is studying different digital vaccination certificates. (Source: Swiss International Air Lines Ltd)
As soon as possible, but quite slowly, Switzerland is returning to a certain normality. The vaccination platform Mesvaccins.ch is still blocked, but at least the number of vaccinators is increasing. As of April 11, 2021, 1.8 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines were administered in the country, according to FOPH statistics, i.e. 21 doses per 100 inhabitants. Of course, the movement of people remains very limited by the regulations in force. But businesses and government agencies are scrambling to iron out cross-border travel using technology.
A Travel Pass to fly from Zurich to London
Swiss is the first Lufthansa Group airline to test the use of the IATA Travel Pass app. The latter provides information on passengers, testing and vaccination requirements in the destination country. Additionally, the Covid 19 test result can be sent directly to the app. Passengers will be able to prove to airlines and authorities that they are complying with the regulations without revealing their personal health data, Switzerland said in its announcement.
The application will first be tested on the connection between Zurich and London Heathrow. The Swiss company stressed that the solution respects strict confidentiality rules and that the data provided will not be stored. “We support all efforts to make pandemic travel and regain confidence during the pandemic. Digital medical passports, such as the IATA Travel Pass, are a valuable tool for combining health protection and the freedom to travel. They improve our customers’ ability to plan trips by giving them confidence in travel,” says Dieter Vranckx Swiss CEO. The IATA Travel Pass has already been approved by Singapore as official health proof of entry into the territory.
Alternate solutions
In addition to the IATA Travel Pass app, Switzerland is also exploring the use of travel and other solutions to reconcile the pandemic. Including digital evidence of the vaccination system developed by the European Union. In March 2021, the European Commission presented a draft “digital green certificate” which will be valid in all EU and Schengen countries – and therefore also in Switzerland. The European Commission has stated on its website that it intends to provide the necessary digital infrastructure this summer. However, the Federal Office of Public Health (OFSP) has not yet decided whether Switzerland will participate. We also recall that the Federal Data Protection Officer has warned that digital vaccine registries would violate the DPA.
The Common Pass is another alternative to the IATA Travel Pass. Developed by the Swiss-based Commons Project Foundation and sponsored by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the solution has already been piloted by Switzerland and JetBlue, Lufthansa, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic to provide passengers with digital evidence. Negative Covid test.
Of course, digital vaccination certificates are not just about air travel. There are many other projects involving Swiss companies. Including the WHO, for which the Swiss-Estonian company Guardtime has signed an agreement to carry out a pilot project. Located in Geneva, the Société Générale de Surveillance (SGS) is working on the AOK Pass.