All Singapore Airlines (SIA) passengers flying outbound from Singapore and Indonesia (bound for Singapore) will be able to book pre-departure polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and serology tests as part of a trial service.
The pre-departure test service – conducted in partnership with Collinson – is currently available to Singapore Airlines and SilkAir passengers departing from Singapore, Jakarta and Medan, as part of its pilot test phase. The pilot will run until mid-March, and there are plans to expand this service to more cities in the SIA and SilkAir network over the next few months if it is successful.
With pre-departure testing becoming a mandatory requirement for more countries, this new service allows SIA customers to book their test appointments on an online booking portal after making their flight bookings.
Customers can make an appointment for a pre-departure test with their preferred in-city clinic from a given list of testing facilities. Upon completion of their test, customers will automatically receive notification of their test results within 36 hours through the same portal, which if negative, can be presented upon check-in at the airport.
These test results will come with a QR code that enables airport check-in staff and Singapore immigration authorities to verify under the new digital health verification process that SIA is piloting with the International Air Transport Association. The portal will also be able to house digital Covid-19 status.
Todd Handcock, Asia-Pacific president of Collinson Group, said this will enable the safe reopening of key routes for travellers.
“While there’s optimism that the roll-out of vaccines will help bring an end to the pandemic, there remains a complex road ahead. In order to restore confidence in travel, the implementation of safe and robust testing protocols remains key,” he added.
Emirates has partnered with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to trial the IATA Travel Pass – a mobile app to help passengers securely manage their travel in line with any government requirements for Covid-19 testing or vaccine information.
The app enables Emirates passengers to create a ‘digital passport’ to verify that their pre-travel test or vaccination meets the requirements of the destination. They will also be able to share the test and vaccination certificates with authorities and airlines to facilitate travel. Travellers will also be able to manage their travel documentation digitally on the app.
Prior to a full roll-out, Emirates will implement phase one in Dubai for the validation of Covid-19 PCR tests before departure. In this initial phase, expected to begin in April, Emirates customers travelling from Dubai will be able to share their Covid-19 test status directly with the airline before reaching the airport through the app, which will then auto-populate the details on the check-in system.
Within the app, the integrated registry of travel requirements will also enable passengers to find accurate information on travel and entry requirements for all destinations regardless of where they are travelling from.
It will also include a registry of testing and eventually vaccination centres – making it more convenient for passengers to find testing centres and labs at their departure location which meet the standards for testing and vaccination requirements of their destination. The platform will then enable authorised labs and test centres to securely send test results or vaccination certificates to passengers.
Nick Careen, IATA senior vice president for airport, passenger, cargo and security, said: “This is the first step in making international travel during the pandemic as convenient as possible giving people the confidence that they are meeting all Covid-19 entry requirements by governments.
“As borders re-open, IATA Travel Pass will be further enhanced with more capabilities to meet all governments testing or vaccination verification requirements and Emirates customers will be among the first to have these services.”