RIYADH — The health passport issued by the Tawakkalna application for those who have taken two doses of the coronavirus vaccine would be linked to the application of International Air Transport Association (IATA) as part of facilitating travel procedures for international passengers. The General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) have signed on Wednesday the Operational Protocol agreement in this regard. As per this memorandum of cooperation, the health passport in the Tawakkalna application will be linked with the IATA application. The deal includes aspects related to facilitating travel procedures in accordance with the best international practices, accepting the health passport platform as an initiative to digitize health certificates from trusted sources and accredited laboratories in cooperation with airlines, in addition to cooperation on linking the Tawakkalna and IATA applications. The SDAIA and GACA agreement aims to establish a general framework for areas of cooperation between the two parties, and that include contributing to facilitating travel procedures and verifying the eligibility of travelers on health grounds in accordance with the best international practices for civil aviation legislation to protect the rights of passengers and stakeholders. Dr. Abdullah Al-Ghamdi, chairman of SDAIA, said that the success of linking the health passport would contribute to supporting the efforts of government agencies in combating the coronavirus pandemic by easily identifying the health status of travelers and digitizing travel procedures to and from the Kingdom. On his part, GACA President Abdulaziz Al-Duailej said that the authority seeks to support the Tawakkalna system and enhance its cooperation with IATA to reach integrated digital solutions that encourage the restoration of air traffic to and from the Kingdom. The authority also strives to help improve the customer experience at airports or using logistics services that include linking with other means of transportation, facilitating procedures to board and get down the plane, and covering an integrated and flexible journey for the customer. The Kingdom is one of the first countries that has succeeded in linking a government platform to an international platform. GACA aims to support the Tawakkalna system and enhance its cooperation with IATA to reach integrated digital solutions that reflect the Kingdom's position in the field of digital transformation. It encourages the restoration of air traffic and travel from and to the Kingdom, in addition to the role of this initiative in the rapid normalization of air transport in the Kingdom and the world.
