IATA Partners With Unilabs

IATA and Unilabs have signed a deal that will incorporate Unilabs’ worldwide COVID-19 testing network into IATA Travel Pass.

The agreement will make Unilabs one of the first major lab groups to be integrated into IATA’s Travel Pass app. Proof of a negative Covid-19 test is required by many governments as a condition of entry, and the app makes the process seamless, secure, and easy.

Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, pointed out that: “COVID-19 testing will play a role in re-starting international travel. Travellers will need to understand test requirements, locate labs, verify their identity to the lab and transfer their test results to relevant parties – airlines and governments – as needed. Our partnership with Unilabs will give travellers access to Unilabs’ extensive network and help them securely and efficiently manage their test results.”

IATA Travel Pass provides information on entry requirements, directs travellers to trusted labs and allows passengers to receive and manage digital certificates for COVID-19 tests or vaccinations.

Unilabs will be able to securely upload test results in IATA Travel Pass, which are then checked against the IATA Timatic global registry of national health requirements, to produce an “OK to Travel” status.

Through the app, passengers can share their status and the digital test certificates with authorities, airports, and airlines.

Unilabs and IATA are currently running a pilot program in the UAE. Once the processes are successfully up and running, the initiative will be rolled out to other entities of the Unilabs network in many countries.

Along with PCR tests, Unilabs also performs antigen and serology tests. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the lab group has performed close to 10 million Covid-19 tests across its network in 17 countries.