Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways is extending its trial of a COVID-19 travel verification solution provided by the Singapore-based technology company, Affinidi, it has emerged.

Since March of this year, Affinidi has been working with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) airline, which has been utilising its Healthcare Network Assessment (HNA) programme on flights from Singapore to Abu Dhabi. 

The trial has now been expanded to include flights from Bahrain, Cairo, Male, Manila, and Jakarta.

“To facilitate the safe reopening of international travel and provide our guests with the best experience, it is important that we are able to seamlessly authenticate and validate health credentials, regardless of their origin or format, in a manner that protects the confidentiality of our guest’s data,” said John Wright, VP Global Airports and Network Operations at Etihad Airways. “We have always advocated the importance of interoperability of digital health solutions and are glad to partner with Affinidi to help accelerate this development.”

WHY IT MATTERS

Affinidi’s HNA works by digitally reading, authenticating, and validating COVID-19 test results.

In addition to providing a reliable digital verification solution for travellers, both companies are also working together to reportedly identify the types of pre-departure test results issued by healthcare providers, plus scan rates of QR codes at check-in.

“This allows both companies to understand the digital maturity and extent of QR code adoption on health reports in each destination market,” according to TravelNewsAsia.

It is said that the trial has so far recorded over 9,000 passenger check-ins, and has identified around 141 labs used for COVID-19 testing across five markets.

Earlier this week, Etihad Airways announced its operating and financial results for H1 2021, showing a “progressive recovery” across its business “despite a slower than expected return to global air travel.”

ON THE RECORD

“We are excited to partner with Etihad Airways on this industry-first program. As stakeholders in the travel ecosystem look to restart safe international travel, standardisation of digital health credentials and a seamless verification process will be key for authorities to verify passengers’ credentials efficiently,” said Toby Berger, Director of Travel at Affinidi. “We continue to be a trusted global partner in delivering safe travel solutions centered on authenticating health credentials to address the increasingly complex environment for safe travel.

“Programmes like the HNA will also provide airlines with a better understanding of the health landscape and explore how they can strengthen collaboration with healthcare providers.”