Global governance

ICC welcomes creation of quarantine free travel corridor between the United States and Italy

  • 26 November 2020
Icc AOK Pass

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) welcomes Delta Airlines and Alitalia’s announcement of quarantine-free flights from Atlanta and New York to Rome.

In close coordination with Italian and American officials, Delta Airlines and Alitalia will begin operating quarantine-free flights between Aeroporti di Roma and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Beginning mid- December, Delta-Alitalia passengers travelling between Atlanta and Rome will be required to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test 72 hours before departure, and then one rapid test in Atlanta and another in Rome.

Responding to the announcement, John W.H. Denton AO said: “We applaud Delta and Alitalia’s decision to open safe and reliable quarantine-free flights between Atlanta and Rome backed by cross-border collaboration and testing. COVID-19 has harmed global supply chains, and businesses of all sizes, especially small- and medium-sized businesses in the travel and tourism sector. We encourage other governments and airlines to consider similar arrangements to safely reopen travel and trade in the age of COVID-19.”

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, ICC has worked closely with a variety of international organisations, national governments, and airports, to discuss strategies for safely reopening cross-border travel routes through the use of digital technology. ICC AOKpass, an interoperable risk mitigation tool developed by ICC, allows users to present digitally authenticated and secure medical records to border authorities and government administrations. The digital application will be made available to passengers travelling via the New York-Rome quarantine-free corridor, starting mid-December.

“I am immensely proud that ICC Aokpass will be used to verify pre-departure COVID-19 tests on the NYC -Rome route, enabling national governments and airlines to quickly verify passengers for more worry free travel. Backed by blockchain technology, ICC AOKpass provides users, airlines, and governments, with an easy-to-use and fully scalable digital solution for reopening trade and travel. Consistent with our founding mission to promote widespread peace and prosperity, ICC AOKpass will establish much-needed standards for cross-border travel in the age of COVID-19.”

Learn more about ICC AOKpass.

How can ICC AOKpass reopen cross border travel and trade in the age of COVID-19?