The alliance seeks for the EU to adopt effective and fair measures to protect passengers' rights to choice, privacy, and basic rights in responsible biometric travel.
Coulombiers, France, October 1st / PRNewswire / -- ACI EUROPE, Amadeus, IATA, IDEMIA Public Security, and SITA today announced the establishment of the "Responsible Biometric Travel Industry Alliance" ( Responsible Biometrics Travel Industry Coalition), calling on EU policymakers to ensure that the Digital Services Act ( Digital Omnibus ) actively supports the voluntary and safe use of biometric technology in travel, while also protecting passengers' rights to choose and their privacy.
The alliance seeks a balanced regulatory approach in order to provide air travelers with a more efficient and convenient experience, while maintaining strong safeguards for the responsible use of biometric technology.
The "Digital Services Act" aims to simplify Europe's digital rules, support innovation, and enhance competitiveness, while maintaining high standards of data protection and cybersecurity. However, this legislative proposal may impose unintended restrictions on passengers across Europe from using biometric technologies voluntarily.
The alliance urges policymakers to ensure that the Digital Comprehensive Act preserves passengers' rights to choose and to allow citizens to benefit from the opportunities that biometric technology can bring.
Why Biometric Recognition Is Important
Biometric technology can make travel smoother for passengers and bring significant operational benefits to airports and airlines. By reducing the need for repeated manual document checks, biometric verification can improve throughput, enhance passenger flow, and help airports make more efficient use of their existing terminal infrastructure. It also enables airports to better manage peak periods and increased passenger volumes, allowing staff to focus their attention on passengers who require assistance or extra care.
Overall, these benefits have enhanced Europe's competitiveness by promoting efficient and interconnected airports, as well as innovation in the tourism and technology industries. A clear regulatory framework encourages sustained investment and enables European tech companies to innovate and scale up credible solutions in their home markets.
In order to unleash the full potential of biometrics in European air travel, the alliance calls for the Digital Integration Act to adopt technology-neutral rules that allow for the voluntary use of biometric data with appropriate safeguards in place, and to provide passengers with non-biometric alternatives.
Protect privacy and passengers' right to choose
The alliance firmly believes that the benefits of biometric technology should go hand in hand with strong protection of passengers' privacy, as well as their ability to share data or request its deletion at any time. The use of biometric solutions should be voluntary, secure, and limited to clearly defined travel scenarios.
Research cited by the alliance shows that, according to the IATA "Global Passenger Survey," 74% of respondents are willing to use shared biometric data in place of presenting their passports or boarding passes.
Declaration
The alliance stated: "EU policymakers have the opportunity to put Europe in a leading position in global biometric regulation. The benefits of the latest technologies are obvious: they can protect passengers' data privacy and enable smoother and more efficient travel processes. This will enhance the overall competitiveness of the region. At the same time, biometric travel should always be based on passengers' choice and voluntary participation."
Today, we issue a declaration to reinforce the industry's commitment to the responsible use of biometric technology and call for regulatory action to establish rules that will enable over 1 billion European air travelers each year to enjoy a safe and seamless future.
The alliance is composed of senior representatives from various member organizations: ACI EUROPE Secretary-General; Olivier Jankovec Senior Vice President for Global Industry Development; Fernando Cuesta Senior Vice President for External Affairs; Thomas Reynaert Senior Vice President for Corporate Relations; IDEMIA Public Security Senior Vice President for Corporate Relations; Lisa Shoemaker Senior Vice President for Border Business; Pedro Alves.
The "Advancing Responsible Biometrics in Europe" declaration outlines a balanced, evidence-based approach to biometric technology, with objectives including:
- Supports public and private conversations centered around biometric identification to help Europe cope with the growing number of travelers and limited airport capacity, while also enhancing the competitiveness of its transportation and tourism industries.1
- Promote greater legal clarity surrounding the use of biometric data to facilitate the responsible deployment of technologies that can bring tangible benefits to travelers.
The alliance brings together professional expertise from across the entire travel ecosystem to provide practical insights and engage with policymakers and regulatory authorities. Alliance members believe that ongoing cooperation between the industry and public authorities is crucial for promoting travel innovation while maintaining high standards in Europe regarding privacy and fundamental rights.
About ACI EUROPE
ACI EUROPE is the European regional organization of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and it is also the only global trade association in the airport industry. We represent more than 600 airports from 55 countries. Our members handle over 95% of commercial air traffic in Europe. Air transport supports 14 million jobs and generates 851 billion euros in economic activity in Europe (accounting for 5% of GDP). To address climate emergencies, our members committed in June 2019 to achieving net-zero carbon emissions from operations under their control by 2050, without relying on offsets. Headquartered in Brussels, we lead and serve the European airport industry, while maintaining close ties with other ACI regions around the world.
About Amadeus
Amadeus makes travel experiences better for everyone around the world by fostering innovation, collaboration, and a sense of responsibility.
As a recording system in the travel industry, its technology provides momentum for the tourism and travel sector, enabling airlines, airports, hotels, travel sellers, and partners to operate on a global scale. Based on decades of industry experience, its open platform connects hundreds of systems and workflows throughout the entire journey, helping the industry to respond to the ever-changing expectations of travelers and transforming the way travel is conducted.
Amadeus is a IBEX 35 index company that is listed on the Spanish stock exchange, with the stock code AMS.MC. It has also been selected for the Dow Jones Best World Indexes (Dow Jones Best - in - Class World Index) for 14 consecutive years.
Amadeus. Make travel work better.
To learn more about Amadeus, please visit www.amadeus.com.
About IATA
The International Air Transport Association ( IATA ) is an industry association for global airlines, representing more than 370 airlines and accounting for approximately 85% of the world's air traffic. We support numerous areas within the aviation industry and help to formulate industry policies on key aviation issues.
The mission of IATA is to represent, lead, and serve the aviation industry.
www.iata.org
About IDEMIA Group
IDEMIA Group is a global technology leader with over 12,500 employees worldwide. Its two leading business divisions provide mission-critical solutions that simplify and secure interactions in both physical and digital domains:
- IDEMIA Secure Transactions ( IST ) is a leading technology provider that makes payments and connections safer and more convenient. With its unparalleled expertise in cryptography and credential issuance, IST is trusted by over 2,000 financial institutions, mobile operators, automobile manufacturers, and IoT providers worldwide. IST protects billions of critical transactions every day, ensuring the highest level of data protection and convenience.
- IDEMIA Public Security ( IPS ) is a trusted provider of government-level and secure biometric identification solutions, serving 600 governments, state, and federal agencies. With decades of experience in biometric technology, IPS supports safer, smoother, and more equitable ways of traveling, accessing services, and protecting citizens.
For more information, please visit www.idemia.com.
About SITA
SITA is the technological engine of the aviation industry, making everyone's travel safer, easier, and more sustainable. From the early days of commercial aviation to today's digital forefront, SITA has always been present, connecting the industry and helping it evolve with each flight.
SITA has approximately 2,500 customers, providing technical support to over 1,000 airports and more than 19,600 aircraft worldwide. It also assists over 70 governments in balancing secure borders with seamless travel experiences. Behind the scenes, SITA handles 45% to 50% of the industry's data exchanges, ensuring that the highly complex global network operates smoothly and reliably at every step.
SITA is driven by industry needs and operates in over 200 countries and regions.
For more information, please visit www.sita.aero.
Media contact:
Agata Lyznik
ACI EUROPE+32 2 552 09 89[ email protected ]Kristen Goldman
Amadeus+1 781 330 6539[ email protected ]Chris Goater
IATA+41 227 702 615[ email protected ]Genevieve de Vera
IDEMIA Public Security+1 978 808 7047[ email protected ]Charles Font
SITA+34 663 805 550[ email protected ]1. ICAO It is estimated that by 2050, global air passenger traffic will reach 12.4 billion trips per year, nearly three times the level of 2024. Digital identity and biometric technologies can help airports handle the growing number of passengers more efficiently, make better use of existing infrastructure, and support a safe and seamless passenger experience.
