Spain’s Canary Islands first destination for coronavirus-free flight in digital health passport pilot project

IN a significant boost to the Canary Islands’ bid to present the archipelago as a safe holiday choice, the region will be the first destination for a coronavirus-free flight in a digital health passport pilot project, which has the backing of the World Health Organisation.

Passengers on the flight will be monitored by the Hi+Card secure health mobile application, which will certify that they do not have Covid-19.

Each will have a unique digital profile on their phones, on which a health entity, accredited by the Health Ministry, will upload medical information related to the virus. The users themselves will ask the entities to directly store the information, which will be encrypted, on their profiles.

The plane is due to fly into the Canaries in July, but there is no confirmation yet on which island it will go to or from where the flight will take off.

The news on the project was confirmed by WHO director general Zurab Pololikashvili and the Canary Island regional Tourism Minister Yaiza Castilla.

The agreement between the WHO and the Canary Island government stems from a virtual meeting between Pololikashvili and administration representatives, and will see the archipelago effectively become a worldwide laboratory for the redesign of tourism safety procedures and minimising risks of contagions.

“The necessary steps are being taken so that passengers can travel with ease and airlines can, in turn, increase the capacity of their flights, since this application is configured as a digital health passport, covering an expected need for the Canary Islands destination, travellers and airlines, such as having the peace of mind of safely carrying their medical data that certifies them as free of Covid-19”, Pololikashvili explained.