Air France and Groupe ADP have launched a new test programme of the ICC AOKpass solution for digitising COVID-19 test results, developed by MedAire/International SOS. The four-week trial launched on 15 March 2021 will focus on outbound and return Air France flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Customers travelling on these flights can test the ICC AOKpass mobile app free of charge, available on smartphones, which allows them to securely record the results of COVID tests carried out in a partner laboratory.
Through this test in real conditions, the partners involved wish to improve the customer experience by streamlining the checking of test result documents, which has become mandatory since the COVID-19 crisis.
Thanks to a partnership between Air France, MedAire/International SOS, Groupe ADP, San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles World Airports, customers testing the app will benefit from dedicated airport channels, with priority access at boarding and passport control on arrival in Paris.
Air France and Groupe ADP have launched a new test programme of the ICC AOKpass solution for digitising COVID-19 test results, developed by MedAire/International SOS. The four-week trial launched on 15 March 2021 will focus on outbound and return Air France flights between Paris-Charles de Gaulle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
This programme is in addition to the one launched by Air France on 11 March 2021, on flights departing from Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe) and Fort-de-France (Martinique) in the French Caribbean. It is entirely free-of-charge for customers and is carried out solely on a voluntary basis in the following four stages:
- The customer downloads the ICC AOKpass mobile app available on App Store, Google Play Store or Huawei App Store, and takes the required PCR or LAMP test (according to the regulations in force for the destination concerned) in one of the partner laboratories.
- Once the test has been taken, the laboratory provides the customer with the results with a PDF document and a QR code, which can be securely downloaded into the ICC AOKpass app.
- At the airport, on the day of departure, specific signage directs the customer to a dedicated lane during boarding. When travel documents are checked, customers show the QR code displayed on their smartphone as a proof of their COVID-19 negative status instead of a paper test. The ICC AOKpass then confirms that the test presented is valid and complies with the regulations of the country of destination via a network secured by blockchain technology.
- On arrival in Paris, customers will see the same specific signage and benefit from priority access when going through passport control, where they once again present the QR code on the AOKpass app.
Alain Bernard, Chief Operating Officer, Air France: “Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, we have been calling for a worldwide health-related standard. This new experimental programme is an example of what could become the standard for travel document verification in the future, and we are pleased to implement it with Air France partners. Collaboration between governments, airlines and airport authorities is essential to find solutions combining health safety with a smooth travel experience.”
Sébastien Bedu, Airport Services Product Manager, MedAire, a subsidiary of International SOS: “The launch of this second large-scale test programme between Paris and the airports of San Francisco and Los Angeles is a major step in the international recognition of ICC AOKpass as a trusted-third-party and the emergence of a new international standard, an essential condition for the resumption of international travel. From the medical laboratory and at every step of the journey, ICC AOKpass makes it possible to certify the negative COVID-19 status of passengers, to the entire air transport chain, for a safe return to travel.”
Marc Houalla, Executive Director, Groupe ADP and Managing Director, Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport: “We are convinced that the ICC AOKpass solution that we are testing with our partners at the departure and arrival points of the Paris airports will facilitate passenger channels through our terminals, by guaranteeing both greater fluidity and better control of health checks. The sustainable recovery of traffic firstly requires the restoration of air links between countries, and this pass has every chance of contributing to this by establishing itself as a new standard.”
