Qatar’s national airline will now allow cabin crew flying from six cities to use the travel pass to verify their Covid-19 vaccine status.

Qatar Airways has expanded its rollout of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Pass.

The national carrier will now allow cabin crew flying from six cities to use the Travel Pass to verify their Covid-19 vaccination status.

Qatar Airways crew flying from London, Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Kuwait, and Sydney can use the app starting July when they arrive back in Doha.

The rollout is expected to expand further to cover more Qatar Airways routes in the coming months.

The new update will facilitate a smoother and quicker process upon return to Doha, and also saves arrival time for cabin crew.

While several global airlines are trialling the Travel Pass, Qatar will be the first country to use the app to verify its vaccination rollout.

Read also: Global digital travel pass set to take off in weeks

“Qatar Airways and the Qatari Government are showing leadership by becoming the first to trial the verification of passengers’ vaccine credentials through IATA Travel Pass. Certificates of Covid-19 vaccination or testing status will be key to restoring people’s freedom to travel,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh.

The current IATA trial is only applicable to crew, but the rollout will soon apply to travellers too.

Physical or digital copies of passenger vaccination certificates may be a thing of the past.

Instead, passengers may son be able to verify their status on the Travel Pass app beforehand. This will allow passengers to simply pull out the app upon check-in and prove their vaccination status.

The app will also soon allow passengers to verify their travel eligibility, find trusted testing centres and download a secure copy of their test results.

The IATA Travel Pass remains in trial phase. However, a full rollout could be a matter of weeks away, making travel much easier.

“We have confidence in the credibility of the IATA Travel Pass as the industry’s most reliable and innovative solution given its strong data privacy compliance, long-standing entry rules engine and ability to provide an end-to-end solution,” said Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways Group.

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