Air transport is accelerating the adoption of contactless technology internationally

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) presented the results of a series of proof-of-concept (PoC) trials conducted in Europe and Asia-Pacific with airlines, airports, governments, and technology providers, confirming that contactless international travel, based on digital identity and biometrics, is now an achievable reality.

Trials demonstrated that passengers can replace physical documents such as passports or boarding passes with digital credentials stored in mobile wallets, combined with biometric verification at various points throughout the airport. This allows for a smoother journey, eliminating repetitive checks and reducing waiting times.

One of the key findings is that interoperability between systems is already advanced enough to enable contactless travel, even on itineraries with multiple airlines, airports, and technology solutions. Testing included the use of global and national digital wallets, such as Apple Wallet and Google Wallet, as well as digital identity programs like Digi Yatra in India.

Furthermore, it was verified that passengers can securely share their identity data before their trip, with their consent, facilitating advance checks and improving operational efficiency. Reusing a single digital identity throughout the entire journey enables a fully integrated tap-and-go experience.

The tests were developed under international standards, including IATA's One ID guidelines, as well as ISO, OpenID and W3C frameworks, ensuring security and global compatibility.

According to Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General, these advances confirm that digital identity for international travel works securely and efficiently. However, he cautioned that for widespread implementation, it is crucial that governments accelerate the issuance and acceptance of digital travel credentials (DTCs), secure, digital versions of passports.

In this regard, IATA points to three critical areas for scaling this transformation: establishing legal and technical frameworks for issuing DTCs, adapting immigration and visa systems to accept them, and working in a coordinated manner between governments and industry to ensure their interoperable use globally.

The PoCs included concrete cases such as connecting trips between Asia and Europe, where repeated checks were eliminated through the use of shared digital identity; experiences of airlines that manage their own digital wallets for check-in and boarding; and interoperability tests between different technology providers within the same trip.

These results mark a key step towards the modernization of air transport, with the potential to transform the passenger experience through faster, safer and fully digital processes.

Source: IATA