Global governance

Eva Air to launch first Asian pilot of ICC AOKpass

  • 7 July 2021

Pilot will see EVA Air join Air France, Alitalia, Etihad, Air Caraïbes and Corsair in live pilots of AOKpass, the digital health passport with nearly 130 airports ready to deploy pilots with airlines.

EVA Air has announced a pilot of AOKpass, the world’s most operationally advanced secure health certificate platform and app. The pilot, which will be AOKpass’ first in Asia, will be available on flights between Taiwan Taoyuan Airport (TPE) and San Francisco (SFO) / Los Angeles (LAX). Using the app, travellers will be able to securely verify their COVID-19 test results with the airline, from laboratories approved by local health authorities. They will benefit from fast track channels at San Francisco and Los Angeles, while retaining the privacy of their personal health data. Deployments of AOKpass have already involved over 500 flights, reflecting its strong focus on forming local, regional and global alliances for interoperability across jurisdictions and industries.

EVA Air spokesperson, David Chen, commented, “It is vitally important that our passengers’ health is protected, their data is secure and they have a convenient travel experience. AOKpass supports all these three key aims and the pilot will be assisted by our trusted medical partner, MedAire. By running a six-week pilot we will be able to see the consistent benefits to our passengers.”

Bill Dolny, CEO of MedAire, specialists in providing medical and security support to the aviation and maritime industries, continued, “As organisations are starting to return to travel and operations, ICC AOKpass has been instrumental in ensuring that airlines, airports, and immigration authorities can deliver this safely and sustainably. AOKpass, and the extensive testing network that supports it, has already been used to process thousands of health passes, supporting travellers since September 2020. For the growing number of returning travellers, safety at scale is critical, as is continuing to provide assurance and renewed confidence in travel. EVA Air is to make this another successful implementation and step towards our collective industry goal to open the skies with safe travel once again.”

Under current regulations, travellers to and from Taiwan Taoyuan Airport are required to take a PCR test for COVID-19 72 hours prior to departure. With the AOKpass, EVA Air passengers are able to store their PCR test results digitally on their mobile devices for later verification at the airport. The AOKpass management system completes this verification using a global, blockchain-based network ensuring all test results are genuine, valid, and in line with government regulations.