An app designed to show travellers have tested negative for Covid-19 (coronavirus) is to be trialled this month, a move which could provide a boost for the resumption of long-haul flights.

The Commons Project, which has developed the CommonPass app with backing from the World Economic Forum, explained the service will let users upload results from a Covid-19 test, done in a certified lab, to their phones.

If the results are negative, the app will generate a QR code which can then be checked by authorities prior to flights and border crossings.

CommonPass will only access minimum amount of personal data and other underlying health information will not be revealed, the organisation said.

Initial trials of the app will be made on flights between London, New York, Hong Kong and Singapore, operated by United Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airways, said marketing company Collinson which is a partner of the project.

Travel restrictions were imposed globally shortly after the start of the year due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.