Hong Kong to Singapore travellers next to benefit from the secure digital verification of COVID-19 status.
Geneva, Switzerland – SITA, the technology provider for the air transport industry, has signed a partnership with AOKpass, currently the world’s most operationally advanced health pass platform and app. Working together with other key players in the global travel ecosystem, the partners, including AOKpass launch partners International SOS/MedAire and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), will jointly facilitate a safer and more efficient return to cross-border travel at scale.
With a focus on major international airports, AOKpass and SITA have already collaborated on ground-breaking 30-day operational pilots for flights to and from airports in San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX) and Paris (CDG). Another joint deployment will be launched in coming weeks to support the Hong Kong (HKD) to Singapore (SIN) travel bubble scheduled to reopen in late May. Deployments of ICC AOKpass have already involved 13 countries and over 500 flights, reflecting its strong focus on forming local, regional and global alliances for interoperability across jurisdictions and industries.
“AOKpass has been operationalising successful large-scale deployments for airlines and airports since September 2020, providing safe and secure COVID-19 status verification for thousands of passengers. We’re just one of the many critical players needed to reactivate international travel. Interoperating with industry leaders such as SITA is vital to any truly global effort to overcome the unprecedented barriers COVID has imposed on cross-border mobility”, said Darren Toh, CEO of AOKpass.
SITA’s IT system products are already widely used as the technical infrastructure for airport, airline and border operations worldwide. By integrating the pioneering AOKpass system, SITA will now also be able to embed privacy-preserving health pass verification functionality into their IT systems and products. This type of integration will eventually facilitate a seamless end-to-end experience across the complex traveller journey – from booking, check-in, boarding, crossing of secure checkpoints, and all other necessary touchpoints.
Jeremy Springall Vice-President, SITA AT BORDERS, said: “We’re excited to partner with AOKpass on this next milestone in the journey to reopen borders in a safe and cost-efficient fashion. Our work with governments, airlines, and airports globally helps to ensure sustainable operations while ensuring a frictionless passenger experience that reduces the risk of congestion at airports and border points. A key benefit of SITA Health Protect is a unique ability to seamlessly integrate with multiple travel pass or ‘health passport’ schemes, bridging the gap between these schemes and aviation and border processes. Critically, by incorporating Advance Passenger Processing (APP), it enables authorities to make an informed decision whether a passenger can travel at the point of check-in, improving the safety of all passengers.”
AOKpass is also already partnered with International SOS and MedAire to provide an unparalleled global network of over 90,000 accredited clinics and industry-leading experience in supporting clients across sectors with health and travel security solutions.
“Interoperability doesn’t happen spontaneously, it’s the result of highly complex and ongoing work done by governments, travel authorities, technology providers and health services firms actively cooperating. Working closely with AOKpass and SITA, we’re proud to be doing our part for the broader ecosystem committed to supporting return to travel,” said Bill Dolny, CEO of MedAire.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
