IATA is to incorporate Synlab’s extensive lab network
into the IATA Travel Pass.
Synlab, one of Europe’s leading medical diagnostic
service providers, has a network of more than 450 medical
laboratories and over 1,600 sample collection points across 36
countries.
The IATA Travel Pass allows passengers to locate
authorised laboratories at departure locations to get tested for
SARS-CoV-2 as required by border and health authorities. After testing,
Synlab will provide passengers with
their certified test results directly through the IATA Travel
Pass. The app checks the result against the IATA Travel
Pass registry of national entry requirements to produce an “OK to
Travel” status.
Mathieu Floreani, CEO of Synlab, said, “We are
pleased to partner with IATA to make travelling as safe as
possible. At a time when people around the world are resuming air
travel and different variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus are
spreading, testing remains crucial. Testing is a central pillar in
monitoring and controlling the pandemic to prevent the spread of
the virus. As the market leader in Europe for PCR testing, we have
conducted 18 million PCR tests since the outbreak of the pandemic,
underlining our strong expertise in this incredibly relevant
field.”
The IATA Travel Pass plays a crucial role in
helping to protect airport staff, airlines, their passengers and
crew, as well as destinations, from the very real danger that the
use of fake test / vaccine certificates can create. As the
authorised laboratories send COVID19 test results directly to the
passenger’s phone as a verifiable credential, the solution
prevents potential forgery of the test results.
Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, said,
“Verified COVID19 testing is critical to restore the freedom to
travel for people who are not vaccinated. IATA Travel Pass aims to
make it as simple as possible for travellers to locate certified
labs and securely receive the test results that governments
require for entry. Adding Synlab’s extensive lab network will help
travellers more easily ensure that they meet their COVID19 travel
requirements.”
Editor's note:
As the above video interview was conducted over the internet, I
would like to apologise that the audio and visual quality are not
up to the same HD/UHD quality that it normally would be. Hopefully it won't be too
long until we are once again conducting exclusive video interviews
in person, but for now we have to make do with what we have. Thank
you.
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