Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

Airline passengers can now upload the European Union Digital Covid Certificate (DCC) and UK National Health Service&nbsp;Covid Pass into the International Air Transportation Association’s (IATA) Travel Pass as verified proof of vaccination for travel, IATA said Thursday.&nbsp;

 


Travelers holding an EU DCC or UK NHS Covid Pass can access accurate Covid-19 travel information for their journeys, create electronic versions of their passports, and import vaccination certificates in one place. &nbsp;According to IATA, airlines and border control authorities now can know that a certificate shown by a traveler is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it.&nbsp;

 


“Covid-19 vaccination certificates are becoming a widespread requirement for international travel, said IATA vice president for operations safety and security Nick Careen. “Handling the European and UK certificates through IATA Travel Pass is an important step forward, providing convenience for travelers, authenticity for governments, and efficiency for airlines.”

 


In a statement, IATA said that harmonization of digital vaccine standards allows for the safe and scalable restart of aviation, reduction of airport queues, and an overall smooth passenger experience. “IATA welcomes the work done by the EU Commission in developing, in record time, the EU DCC system and thereby standardizing digital vaccine certificates across Europe,” it said.&nbsp;

 


However, the association continues to call on the World Health Organization (WHO) to revisit work on developing a global digital vaccine standard.

 


“The absence of a global standard makes it much harder for airlines, border authorities, and governments to recognize and verify a traveler’s digital vaccination certificate,” said Careen. “The industry is working around this by developing solutions that can recognize and verify certificates from individual countries. But this is a slow process that is hampering the restart of international travel.” &nbsp;&nbsp;

 


In the absence of a WHO standard, IATA urges states to look closely at the EU DCC as a “proven solution” that meets WHO guidance, Careen concluded.&nbsp;

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

EU, UK Digital Covid Certificates Recognized by IATA Travel Pass

Airline passengers carrying the European Union Digital Covid Certificate and UK NHS Covid Pass now can upload Covid information to IATA’s Travel Pass.

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News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

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News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

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