Five global airlines are to start offering passengers use of a digital health pass to certify they are Covid-free before travel, as the sector seeks to navigate its way out of a historic collapse in passenger demand.
United Airlines, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, Swiss International Air Lines and JetBlue will begin rolling out the so-called CommonPass to passengers on some flights from December.
The project, developed by non-profit group The Commons Project and backed by the World Economic Forum, uses a digital certificate downloaded to a mobile phone to show a passenger has tested negative for Covid-19. Users can then use the certificate as proof of a negative test if the country they are visiting requires one. The airlines are not making the CommonPass mandatory, but in time it will also be used to provide proof of vaccination.