All Nippon Airways (ANA) is to trial the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Pass app, enabling passengers on selected flights between Japan and the US to verify their identity and their Covid-19 test results at check-in on their NFC-enabled smartphone.

After registering to join the trial, passengers can create their digital identity in the IATA app by taking a selfie and scanning the contactless chip on their passport with their NFC phone.

They can then use the Travel Pass to verify their identity at one of the Covid-19 test centres participating in the trial before taking a Covid-19 test and receiving the results directly in the app.

“Customers who volunteer to participate in the trial will have the opportunity to use the IATA Travel Pass app to easily and securely verify whether their Covid-19 test result meets the health requirements of their destination,” ANA says.

“Through this trial, ANA will validate the testing and verification components of the IATA Travel Pass app as it seeks to provide customers with greater options to make the international travel process more seamless and secure.”

The airline will trial the IATA Travel Pass from 24 May to 6 June on flights between Tokyo Haneda airport and Honolulu in Hawaii, and between Tokyo Haneda and JFK airport in New York, USA.

A short video shows how the travel pass works.

The digital travel pass is currently available for NFC-enabled iOS devices only but IATA says that it will be available for Android users “in mid-May”.

More than 30 airlines worldwide, including Iberia, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Korean Air and Virgin Atlantic have now joined the IATA Travel Pass pilot programme.

IATA announced that it was developing a digital travel pass in January.

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