BA to trial mobile health app VeriFLY on London to US flights

Airline says decision is part of strategy to combat changes brought about by Covid-19

British Airways is hoping the introduction of the mobile healh passport will get more of its fleet off the ground. AFP

British Airways said on Friday that it would trial mobile health passport VeriFLY on flights between London and the United States, as it bids to overcome barriers to travel spawned by the coronavirus pandemic.

The IAG-owner carrier is following in the trail of American Airlines which is already using it.

VeriFLY combines travel verification documents and Covid test results on a phone app to ensure passengers are compliant with destination entry requirements. Certified customers can then be fast-tracked through the airport.

Flying is currently at minimal levels with flight volumes in Britain down more than 80 per cent due to lockdowns and restrictions which ban most people from travelling.

British Airways' chief executive Sean Doyle said the trial was about getting ready to navigate different entry requirements once travel does restart.

"Through these trials we hope to provide travellers and governments on both sides of the Atlantic with the tools and the reassurance they need to make safe travel possible," he said in a statement.

Mr Doyle will be praying that the trial is a success as he seeks to breathe life afresh into his atrophying airline.

In December last year British Airways declared it was axing services to more than 15 long-haul destinations in 2021, including Abu Dhabi,

Other middle-eastern destinations affected by its pared back operations include Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, and Muscat in Oman.

The cuts came with the airline struggling to recoup losses sustained by the Covid-induced collapse in air travel.