Air France To Pilot Blockchain-based COVID-19 Test Results Verifying System

French flag carrier Air France is piloting a blockchain-based solution for digitizing the COVID-19 test results with a verifying system to enable passengers to present the certificate on the app, instead of a paper test. The 4-week pilot of the ICC AOKpass will begin on March 11 on all Air France flights on the Paris CDG-Pointe-à-Pitre and Paris CDG-Fort-de-France routes.

The ICC AOKpass is a mobile app, available on smartphones that allows passengers to carry a secure record of the results of their COVID-19 test carried out in a partner laboratory. It will provide secure verification of COVID-19 status, in line with the regulations of the destination country, via a network secured by blockchain technology.

Travel-related regulations have evolved and changed regularly since the COVID-19 crisis began. Submitting of a negative COVID-19 test is now mandatory for most international travel, and verifying these tests, often presented in paper format, takes time.

ICC AOKpass is co-founded by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and global industry leaders in health and certification services, International SOS and SGS Group. It has an international network of over 80,000 accredited clinics and health providers.

ICC AOKpass aims to be the globally trusted digital infrastructure for international health records verification. It provides a privacy-preserving, digitally authenticated, secure and portable copy of medical records to border authorities and government administrations.

Air France said it will share the feedback on the ICC AOKpass pilot with the other airlines in the Skyteam alliance, which are currently testing various solutions for digitizing health documents.

This scalable solution is expected to enable governments, businesses and border authorities to reopen cross border travel and trade safely and efficiently in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Supported by ICC, International SOS and SGS Group, ICC AOKpass has processed hundreds of health passes for airlines and airports since September 2020. It is currently being piloted across the world, including a successful large-scale pilot on Etihad flights from Paris to Abu Dhabi and Pakistan to Abu Dhabi.

Nearly 130 airports in 18 countries are ready to deploy ICC AOKpass pilots with airlines. This includes ADP Group, TAV and Aeroporti di Roma.