British Airways owner IAG calls for digital health passes

British Airways owner IAG has called for digital health passes "to reopen our skies safely" as it posted a record loss for 2020 due to Covid disruption.

IAG posted an operating loss of €7.4bn (£6.5bn) for last year after the pandemic grounded many of its flights.

UK-focused airlines got a boost this week from government plans for travel markets to possibly reopen from mid-May, prompting a flood of bookings.

But uncertainty remains about what routes will be available.

The airline group - which also owns Iberia and Aer Lingus - called for "a clear roadmap for unwinding current restrictions when the time is right."

"We're calling for international common testing standards and the introduction of digital health passes to reopen our skies safely," said IAG's boss Luis Gallego.

IAG said that the ongoing uncertainty and duration of the pandemic meant that it could not provide a forecast for future profits.

The government is in the process of talking to to G7 and other countries to try to build a consensus on how to allow more foreign travel.

Greek tourism minister Haris Theoharis told the BBC last week that early technical discussions were underway with UK officials about how a potential passport scheme might work.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) also said this week that it expects its digital Covid Travel Pass will be ready soon.

The pass is an app that verifies a passenger has had the Covid-19 tests or vaccines required to enter a country. It also verifies they were administered by an approved authority.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said a review of how to return to international travel while managing risk from imported cases and virus variants would report on 12 April.