08 April 2026 (Singapore) – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) published the results of several digital identity Proofs of Concept (PoCs) completed with the support of airlines, airports, technology providers and governments across Europe and Asia-Pacific.
The successful PoCs demonstrated that contactless, biometric-enabled international travel is already achievable with digital identity replacing paper documentation.
Working together as part of the IATA Strategic Partnerships Program, the partners tested how digital identity stored in mobile wallets and biometric verification can support seamless passenger journeys without repeated paper document checks.
Importantly, the PoCs demonstrated that interoperability of systems is sufficiently advanced to support contactless journeys involving multiple carriers and using different digital identity wallets (including Digital ID in Apple Wallet for US Passport holders, and Google ID Pass for UK and US passport holders) as well as national digital identity programs such as India’s Digi Yatra. This includes enabling passengers to securely share identity data in advance to facilitate their travel.
The PoCs were designed using the IATA Contactless Travel Directory, IATA’s One ID standards and ISO, OpenID and W3C international standards.
‘We have proven that digital identity for international travel works securely and efficiently. For travelers to benefit from this important modernization, governments must accelerate efforts to issue and accept Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs)—secure digital versions of passports. The result will be stronger security, smoother journeys, and greater efficiency,’ said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
These PoCs demonstrated travelers can use a secure digital identity to share only the data required for travel, enrol remotely in a digital identity system, and verify themselves biometrically at airport touchpoints to complete their journey without presenting a physical passport or boarding pass.
Achieving this on a global scale will require coordinated action by governments in three critical areas:
‘Secure digital versions of passports—Digital Travel Credentials (DTCs)—will make travel more secure and more efficient. By sharing identity data in advance, checks can be completed earlier, reducing the need for document checks at airports and cutting queues. Industry collaboration has shown digital identity works in practice. The next step is for governments to put the frameworks in place to integrate digital identity into global travel processes,’ said Walsh.
To come to these conclusions three PoCs trialled complementary aspects of digital identity integration into passenger travel processes:
In addition to the airlines and airports noted above, these PoCs involved the use of several digital wallets (Air New Zealand Wallet, Apple Wallet, Digi Yatra, Face Express by NEC, Google Wallet, Multipaz (open-source) and SITA Wallet) and technology providers including Amadeus, Branchspace, Hopae, NEC, SICPA and SITA; supported by the IATA Contactless Travel Directory.