The Wrap: Emirates expands IATA Travel Pass implementation, SIA Group launches carbon offset program, and more30/06/2021 by Marketing, News Regions, Sectors. 30/06/2021 by Corinne Wan, in DistributionThe Wrap provides a summary of the latest news from the travel and technology sectors. It also updates businesses on how they are adapting and resetting in preparation for post-pandemic travel.Emirates extends IATA Travel Pass to Ten CitiesDubai International's IATA Travel Pass-Alhosn check in counters (Image credit: Emirates).Emirates has increased the use of the IATA Travel Pass. It is now available to customers flying to 10 cities. The airline plans to expand its roll-out across its global network over the next few weeks.Customers of Emirates flying to London, Barcelona Madrid, Istanbul and New York JFK can access the digital solution/app and manage their documentation, such as vaccinations and Covid test results.These flights passengers will be sent an email and SMS with the activation code as well as instructions for downloading the app.Alhosn, an official UAE app for Covid contact trace and health documentation, has also been partnered by the Dubai-based carrier. This app is a joint effort between the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention and the local health authorities and has been approved by the National Authority for Emergency and Crisis Management.Emirates will integrate Alhosn with its check-in systems starting July. This expands on the existing integration with Dubai Health Authority (DHA). Customers traveling from the UAE can access and verify their Covid medical records regardless of where they were vaccinated or tested for PCR or antigens.Adel Al Redha, Emirates chief operating officer, stated that we have significantly accelerated our contactless, biometric and digital travel verification projects over the past few months to give our customers even greater convenience when flying with Emirates.These projects offer multiple benefits, including improved customer experience, reduced paper use, better efficiency, and reliability when it comes to travel document inspections.SIA Group launches carbon offset program to help protect the environmentProtecting endangered species such as the orangutan and forests in Indonesia is one of the carbon offset projects. Bas Vermolen/Getty Images.The Singapore Airlines (SIA Group) launched a voluntary carbon offset program for customers as part of its commitment towards net zero emissions by 2050.Scoot and Singapore Airlines customers can offset carbon emissions via their respective microsites anytime before or after a flight. The programme will be available to corporate customers starting in 4Q 2021.Customers have the option to use their KrisFlyer Miles and HighFlyer Points to offset carbon emissions starting in the fourth quarter.For the first six months after the programme's launch, both airlines will match any offsets purchased by these customers.BlueHalo, an online solution developed by Tasman Environmental Markets in Australia, allows customers to calculate and offset their emissions as a result of their journey.The carbon offset projects funded by the contributions include the preservation of forests in Indonesia and the protection endangered species like orangutans; the construction of renewable solar energy projects in India that generate electricity; and the provision efficient, clean-burning stoves that reduce smoke pollution to villages in Nepal.According to the SIA Group, these projects have a demonstrated and measurable effect on communities and the environment.Malaysian Airports will open a Covid-19 screening area at KLIAIn July, the KL International Airport will host a private screening center for Covid-19. Malaysia Aorports Holdings Bd. Image creditMalaysia Airports Holdings Bhd. (MAHB), operator of Malaysian airports, will open a private Covid-19 screening area at eight locations at KL International Airport (KLIA), in July 2021.MAHB announced that five of the facilities would be located at KLIA's main terminal, and three at budget terminal Klia2. This is one of many improvements MAHB is making to improve comfort and convenience, while also complying with the required safety protocols for travel at the airport.Passenger escorts are provided from the arrival gate to test area. VIP service is also available. Waiting lounges with WiFi, portable WiFi rental, and F&B options are some of the services offered. You have the option to pay with credit card, cash or online.Because the new facility can produce the Covid-19 RTK results and RTPCR results in 15 minutes and three hour respectively, the wait times are much shorter.Chief executive officer of MAHB group Dato Mohd Shkrie Mohd Salonh stated that safety is a top priority. The company has worked with the relevant authorities to ensure the Ministry of Health approves the service provider to provide such services.This new facility is certain to increase travel demand once the borders are opened again. It is expected that the new facility will accommodate around 40,000 passengers per day, and this will be sufficient to handle international arrivals at both terminals once traffic has recovered.MAHB stated that more service providers will be hired at international airports after the appropriate approvals have been received.International traffic for APAC airlines is stagnant, but cargo demand solidAPAC airlines have seen little improvement in international passenger traffic over the past year. Image credit: VivianG/Getty ImagesEven though the pandemic is over, airlines in the Asia Pacific region continue to report a decline in international passenger traffic volumes despite strict border restrictions and concerns about the spread Covid-19 variants.The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA), released preliminary traffic figures for May 2021. These numbers show that only 1.3 Million international passengers flew on regional carriers in that month. This is just 4.3% of the volume carried in the same month of 2019. International passenger load factor was 28.4%, with 12.3% available seat capacity.However, air cargo fared well as strong consumer and business demand worldwide drove demand. International air cargo demand, measured in freight tonne kilometers, saw a 23.1% increase year-on-year. The average international freight load factor increased by 11.7 percentage points, to 73.7%.Subhas Menon, AAPA director general, stated that air cargo volumes carried on APAC carriers have almost recovered to pre-pandemic levels. This contrasts sharply with the stagnant international passenger traffic which has seen no improvement in more than a year.He blamed the slow pace of vaccinations around the globe for the delay in international airline travel recovery. Travel markets in advanced economies are slowly recovering as more people get vaccinated, and businesses resume their normal activities. The same is not true for most emerging markets in Asia, where vaccine roll-outs are slow because of logistical problems, limited manpower, and supply constraints. Due to strict border controls, the region's tourism and travel sectors continue to struggle.Reopening borders has been hampered by renewed concerns about the possible emergence of new Covid varieties. Menon said that this will have a negative effect on the survival of airlines and will require additional government support as the crisis continues.Credit for the featured image (IATA Travel Pass),: IATA
