IATA’s digital passport proposal plus new airline in Colombia

Immunity passports, a possible airline request to travel.

A proposal from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) asks for the use of a digital passport certifying vaccination and the result of the coronavirus test. The idea of so-called covid passports has gained great strength in the world as an effective strategy for the total reactivation of international flights. So far, as the development of some virus vaccines progresses, several airlines have supported the proposal and rely on its results.

As reported by IATA, there is the final phase of a mobile application to show the traveler’s health status. For Nick Careen, senior vice president of IATA, the application would be to “make people travel safer” and give a boost to the airline industry and make way for the tourism sector. Careen also called the strategy “time will eventually become a “vaccine plan”, adding that “in the immediate term, it means giving governments confidence that systematic COVID-19 testing can function as a replacement for quarantine requirements.”

In some countries they have called the project like ‘Travel Pass’, which in addition to providing the results of a PCR test, also reveals the details of a possible inoculation of the vaccine, the list of regulations that each country implements to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic, as well as the test centers closest to the passenger’s location. There has even been talk of adding a copy of the holder’s passport to the application to facilitate airport formalities.

Companies such as International Consolidated Airlines (IAG), a conglomerate that brings together British Airways and Iberia airlines, have announced that they will begin a testing phase in the first quarter of 2021, when they also expect the availability of the Apple device app. In the case of phones with the Android operating system, April is considered as a possible date for its implementation.

The announcement of this measure is in addition to the news of advances in covid-19 vaccines. The last known results of the Russian Sputnik vaccine, which would have reported 95% efficacy. Meanwhile, Pfizer and Moderna laboratories announced 95- and 94.5% efficiency, respectively

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Ultra-Air could be a new airline in Colombia

The Civil Aeronautics of Colombia will carry out the hearing in the coming days which will define if Ultra Air S.A.S. can be constituted as an air transport company to operate domestic and international routes. The application was filed with the Colombian Civil Aeronautics by Ultra Air S.A.S. legal representative William Shaw. The company claims to establish itself as a passenger, mail, and cargo air transport.

According to the request, the airline’s headquarters would be in Rionegro, Antioquia. Air transport service would be provided on Airbus A320 CEO aircraft and Boeing B737 Max 8 aircraft, both on domestic and international routes. The international routes proposed by Ultra Air would have 118 frequencies per week. The following are the routes and frequencies per week:

Bogota-Mexico City-Bogota: 14
Bogota-Cancun-Bogota: 14
Bogota-Miami-Bogota: 14
Bogota–Santo Domingo–Bogota: 7
Bogota–Quito-Bogota: 7
Bogota-Guayaquil-Bogota: 7
Bogota-Lima-Bogota: 7
Bogota-Curacao-Bogota: 7
Medellin–Miami–Medellin: 11
Medellin–Cancun–Medellin: 11
Medellin–Mexico City–Medellin: 11
Medellin–Guayaquil–Medellin: 7
Medellin–New York–Medellin: 7
Medellin–Aruba–Medellin: 4
Medellin–Punta Cana–Medellin: 4