Emirates today shared another valuable update in its approach to helping improve the passenger experience regarding health requirements. The Dubai-based carrier announced that it has partnered with compatriot Alhosn National Health System in the National Cloud to safeguard health and privacy while meeting European Union health certification.

Covering all angles

Since the rise of the global health crisis, Emirates has been at the forefront of technological innovations to curb the risk of virus transmission during the passenger journey. For instance, last year, it introduced a fully biometric experience at Dubai International. As a result, passengers passing through the hub with the carrier have been witnessing a contactless approach at every step.

Moreover, the operator has been putting emphasis on the vaccination drive. In February, it operated its first service where every employee was vaccinated. Altogether, 70 vaccinated frontline team members supported a flight to Dubai from Los Angeles, marking the focused vaccination efforts of the company. Notably, the company’s cargo branch has been critical in deliveries of vaccine doses across the globe. Dubai World Central was even reactivated to help with distribution efforts.

When it comes to making passenger health status verification seamless, Emirates’ has been keeping up the modern initiatives. The airline was one of the first carriers to trial the IATA Travel Pass and continued expanding its rollout over the months. In September, it became the first operator to implement the pass across six different continents.

Emirates Biometric
Earlier this year, the airline integrated the Alhosn National Health System via the National Cloud in its check-in systems to offer swifter digital retrieval and validation of medical records regardless of where its UAE-based passengers completed their required processes. Photo: Emirates

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Taking it further

Now, the firm has joined up with Alhosn National Health System to further optimize the verification of heath credentials for those traveling to the EU from the UAE. Ultimately, passengers can download the IATA Travel Pass, scan the Alhosn app's Travel Pass QR code and load the results back to the platform.

Additionally, citizens and residents in the UAE will be able to load their certificates and negative test results anywhere in the nation without having to visit certain centers. The health data is stored in the National Cloud and follows the country's data protection law.

Emirates notes that the expansions made it simpler for passengers to make use of the IATA Travel Pass and get approval to travel before departing to an EU country. With the Alhosn app, travelers can more effectively demonstrate their health status while also using it to visit establishments that require proof of vaccination or a negative test result. All in all, the approach is streamlined rather than having to go through numerous apps or websites to travel.

“As part of Emirates' plan to implement digital travel verification and make the travel process more seamless, we're boosting the customer experience across the full travel journey when it comes to the administration and uploading of test results and proof of vaccination, in partnership with Alhosn. We're always looking at ways to expand the functionality of the tools available to our customers like the IATA Travel Pass,” Emirates Chief Operating Officer Adel Al Redha shared in a statement.

“Enabling the readability of COVID-19 testing and vaccination QR codes into the app for customers travelling to the EU is a major step to instil confidence and create greater assurance. Alhosn has put in tremendous efforts into obtaining equivalency for the EU Digital COVID Certificate system, and we thank them for making the UAE one of the few countries to secure their testing and recognition status across all EU countries for their citizens and residents."

Emirates Alhosn
The IATA Travel Pass is proving to be more prevalent across the industry as the pandemic continues. Photo: Emirates

Vital tools

Alhosn added that its partnership with the airline shows how essential it is to produce safe and secure technological integrations. It concluded that Emirates is an excellent example for safe travel during the global health crisis, and the company values the partnership.

The verification of health credentials will remain an integral part of the global travel process heading into 2022. New virus variants continue to rock operations across the globe. So, the streamlining, effectiveness, and security of the systems will go a long way in this next chapter.

What are your thoughts about this enhancement shared by Emirates? Do you feel it is a good move by the airline? Let us know what you think of the overall initiative in the comment section.