IATA and Eurofins Partner to Boost Travel with Testing
Geneva, Switzerland, April 19, 2021 / TRAVELINDEX / The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced an agreement with Eurofins to incorporate its worldwide COVID-19 testing network into IATA Travel Pass. Eurofins is a leader in bio-analytical testing with 800 laboratories across 50 countries. As part of the partnership, Eurofins’ dedicated COVID-19 portfolio encompassing multiple test types and hundreds of COVID-19 sampling stations globally will be made available through the IATA Travel Pass.
Amid the pandemic, coronavirus testing is required for most international travel. As part of the IATA Travel Pass initiative, Eurofins laboratories will provide secure, verified test results to travelers using the app. This result is checked against the IATA Travel Pass registry of national entry requirements to produce an “OK to Travel” status. Through the app passengers can share their status and the digital test certificates with authorities and airlines to facilitate travel.
Trials of IATA Travel Pass incorporating the global Eurofins network are expected to begin with airlines piloting IATA Travel Pass across multiple regions in the coming weeks.
“Verified testing is the immediate solution to give governments the confidence to open their borders to travelers. IATA Travel Pass aims to make it as simple as possible for travelers to locate certified laboratories and securely receive the test results that governments require. Our partnership with Eurofins is another mark of quality for IATA Travel Pass which is being built to the highest data security and privacy standards. Adding the extensive Eurofins network to the initiative will help travelers more conveniently adjust their travel preparations to meet the COVID-19 requirements,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
“Fast, secure, high-quality testing is a critical element in the fight against the pandemic and enabling the return to normalised travel. Eurofins is a market leader in testing and laboratory services and since the outbreak of COVID-19, Eurofins has established widespread PCR testing capabilities, as well as a wide range of testing solutions through its SAFER@WORK™ programs; and has carried out over 15 million tests in its own laboratories, while also supporting the development of a number of vaccines. We are delighted to be partnering with IATA and to support the IATA Travel Pass, to provide the testing gold standard to ensure people can travel with security and confidence,” Gilles Martin, Eurofins’ Chairman of the Board and CEO.
IATA Travel Pass provides the infrastructure needed to securely manage, share and verify test data matched with traveler identities in compliance with border control requirements. It will help travelers manage these new processes starting with understanding the requirements to travel and helping them identify labs, such as Eurofins, which are certified do to the testing.
About Eurofins
With over 50,000 staff across more than 800 laboratories in over 50 countries, Eurofins is a global leader in Testing for Life. In 2020, Eurofins reacted quickly to meet the global challenge of COVID-19, by creating the capacity for over 20 million patient tests per month to support efforts to identify and suppress the virus. The Group has established widespread PCR testing capabilities and has carried out over 15 million tests in its own laboratories, is supporting the development of a number of vaccines and has established its SAFER@WORK™ testing, monitoring and consulting programmes to help ensure safer environments during COVID-19.