Skift Take
The CommonTrust Network signed Aruba this week as its first member country, a win in the race to develop a digital health passport. But competition remains fierce as airlines await a single standard that can safely restart travel.
Aruba, the tiny Caribbean tourist destination, is the first country embrace and adopt a digital health passport platform. It may not be fruitful, however, since airlines are still waiting for global agreement behind a single standard.
Excitement has emerged around digital health passports that could begin to reopen international travel. The two leading contenders in development are CommonPass backed by the World Economic Forum and Travel Pass by International Air Transport Association (IATA). Both do essentially the same thing: generate a unique QR code with a travelers’ Covid-19 status for use when boarding a flight and arriving in another country. Backers of both solutions say the respective platforms can be tailored to adhere to any given country’s specific travel restrictions.
But while carriers ranging from British Airways to United Airlines have signed on to trials of both apps, governments have lagged on adopting either standard. At least until now.
“Aruba is pleased to take a leadership role as the first gover
