In a joint statement Amadeus and IBM said, the former will integrate IBM’s digital health pass into its Traveler ID platform. The move will simplify the verification of passengers’ health credentials during the boarding process, said the companies on Thursday.

Ever since the pandemic began, the tourism industry, along with the aviation and tech sectors have deepened their partnerships and have introduced a host of new digital applications and products in response to a global patchwork of restrictions and requisites to travel.

IBM’s blockchain based digital health pass system, which uses encyryption to authenticate diagnostic tests including antigen, assigns passengers a QR code which indicates whether they are eligible to board a plane. The system has replaced boarding-gate attendants who previously used to manually verify details for each traveler.

“This approach helps airlines feel confident the health credentials added are valid and takes the expectation off of gate agents to verify health documents,” said Greg Land, head of IBM’s travel and transportation sector, while adding, “It also protects individual privacy since only a QR code that reflects the individuals’ status – e.g. ‘ready to fly’ – is displayed when scanned.”

Earlier this year Amadeus had launched its Traveler ID platform for airlines so that passengers could upload their health documents directly within the reservation systems of airlines.

Currently Amadeus has 10 airlines as its live clients including Norwegian, Air Canada, and Air Europa.

IBM’s integrated service will be available as an add-on for all 10 of Amadeus Traveler ID subscribers, said its spokesperson in a statement.