SITA is an IT and telecommunications company that has been providing services to the airline industry for a long time. Due to the pandemic and travel-related complications, SITA has launched its new product called Health Protect in order to help airlines, airports, governments, and passengers share information safely and securely with regard to health tests or vaccinations needed during travel.
1. Succesful trial
In a trial project, SimplyGo (which enables travellers to pay using contactless), partnered with SITA to make use of SITA Health Protect. For the first time, a small group of air travellers flying from Germany and Estonia to the United Arab Emirates tested the health data platform and SimplyGo app in a live environment.
The travellers obtained a negative COVID-19 result via their SimplyGo app before travelling. The data was then securely stored on the SimplyGo platform to be accessed by airlines and border officials authorizing boarding and eventually arrival at the destination country, the United Arab Emirates.
From the increased use of biometrics to the development of a digital identity for air travel, 2020 was a year of accelerated technology adoption across the air transport industry. https://t.co/81dUBiHrYp pic.twitter.com/0C2Xr3uIQC
— SITA (@SITAonline) January 27, 2021
Affiliations with the UAE government systems were made possible through the Advance Passenger Processing platform delivered by SITA. By adapting APP to meet the current health demands of COVID-19, passengers can be processed faster and their experience can be more enjoyable while the airport benefits from improved efficiency and security.
SITA has already carried out several trials with travellers to the United Arab Emirates, and will soon start at Milan Malpensa Airport. Similarly, Milan Airports is collaborating with the SITA platform to digitize declarations on COVID-19-tested flights and manage the testing process at Milan Malpensa (MXP) airport which is Italy’s second busiest airport.
SITA continues to work closely with governments globally to support them in the safe reopening of borders. SITA is working with the Australian Government, and airlines which share the same motive because Australia has decided to keep its borders closed until the end of 2021.
2. SITA’s Health Protect
Health Protect is a complete suite of solutions, with SITA Health ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization), SITA Advance Passenger Processing (APP), and SITA Flex for in-airport passenger flow monitoring. Selecting the right combination of products and integrating with a health pass system like SimplyGo, ensures governments are aware of who is intending to travel and their health status.
A key benefit of this feature is that it has a unique ability to seamlessly integrate with multiple travel passes or ‘health passport’ schemes, mending the gap between these schemes and aviation and border processes.
Incorporating the Advance Passenger Processing (APP) enables authorities to make an informed decision whether a passenger can travel or not.
Passengers without the required documentation, or considered high risk, will be unable to check in for their flight, ensuring they do not even travel to the airport. This will help combine the functionality of passenger locator forms, health attestations, and travel declarations, as well as Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), Health Protect will allow passengers to travel again, safely and securely, supporting a seamless and contactless journey. It will also provide passengers certainty that they have the right documents before departure, even at a time when border regulations are being changed regularly.
“We’re excited for the potential of SITA Health Protect to bridge the gap between airlines resuming normal operations and governments’ strong focus on keeping control of COVID-19. Recovery from COVID-19 will take time and is complex but we believe that SITA can play a key role in enabling a safer, simpler travel experience for passengers”, said David Lavorel, CEO of Airports & Borders at SITA.
At the airport, Health Protect also integrates with the existing airport passenger processing systems to verify their health status, monitoring passengers at each point in the process using SITA Flex touchless.
