The certificate will offer proof that a person has received a Covid-19 vaccine, tested negative or recovered from the virus, and is designed to “facilitate safe, free movement” around the 27 member states and will also be open for Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

Three aviation groups – Airlines for Europe (A4E), ACI Europe and ERA (European Regions Airline Association) – have sent a joint letter to European leaders and ministers calling for “urgent action and transparency” on the launch of the digital certificate.

The letter calls for EU politicians “to take the necessary steps for an effective and timely planning and execution of all actions needed from a technical, administrative and legal point of view to be able to effectively start issuing Digital Green Certificates by June at the latest”.

The groups added: “Summer 2021 represents a make-or-break moment, with millions of EU tourism jobs supported by aviation and the wider recovery of the sector hanging on the line.

“Visibility across ongoing work is urgently needed, and target dates must be both set and shared as early as possible to establish the state of readiness of each EU/EEA country and Switzerland.”