This new travel health app could mean the return of air travel

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With the global pandemic adding complications and safety concerns to air travel, flying isn’t exactly the easiest endeavour one can undertake. That’s why several companies and agencies are working on a solution that can ensure safe travels to all, from airlines to governments to the travelers themselves. One of these solutions is scheduled to be ready very soon, and it’s been prepared by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The CDC recommends travellers get three COVID-19 tests

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The IATA is working on its Travel Pass, a sort of global health passport that could allow people to start flying around the world again while also ensuring that all health and safety regulations are being observed. “To re-open borders without quarantine and restart aviation, governments need to be confident that they are effectively mitigating the risk of importing COVID-19,” according to an IATA press release. “This means having accurate information on passengers’ COVID-19 health status”.

A picture of a family with three kids in the airport, all of them wearing face masks — IATA has already assured that the app will offer maximum privacy and protection of travelers' data, who will be the only ones with the right to share them or delete them © FamVeld / Getty Images

That’s exactly what the Travel Pass aims to do – operating out of an app, it will be a way to facilitate the flow of information between travelers, governments, airlines and laboratories. Travellers can check the anti-COVID regulations of the country they’re flying to and see where the closest lab they can get tested at is; the laboratories will then directly upload their results onto the app so that it’s reliable and up-to-date. Once it’s time to actually fly out, travelers can show their results on the app to airline personnel and border patrol officers, so that they try to ensure that there will be no spreading of the virus on the plane or in the destination country.

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A passenger's hand holding passport and ticket — It will also be possible to use the app as storage for digital travel documents so that airport check-ins are as easy and as contactless as possible © Lina Moiseienko / EyeEm / Getty Images

The app is expected to start testing at the end of 2020 and then be released for both iOS and Android in 2021. You can also check out more additional information on IATA’s official website here.