ACI EUROPE, Amadeus, IATA, IDEMIA Public Security and SITA today announced the formation of the Responsible Biometrics Travel Industry Coalition, calling on EU policymakers to ensure the Digital Omnibus actively supports the voluntary and secure use of biometrics in travel while protecting passenger choice and privacy.
The coalition is seeking a balanced regulatory approach that enables a more efficient and convenient experience for air travelers and maintains strong safeguards around the responsible use of biometric technologies.
The Digital Omnibus is intended to simplify Europe’s digital rulebook, support innovation and strengthen competitiveness. It also preserves high standards of data protection and cybersecurity. Yet the legislative proposal could place unintended restrictions on the voluntary use of biometrics by passengers across Europe.
The coalition is urging policymakers to ensure the Digital Omnibus preserves passenger choice and allows citizens to benefit from the opportunities that biometrics can offer.
The coalition feels that biometrics make travel more seamless for passengers and deliver significant operational benefits for airports and airlines. By reducing repeated manual document checks, biometric verification increases throughput, improves passenger flows and helps airports use existing terminal infrastructure more efficiently. It also helps airports better manage peak periods and traffic growth, allowing staff to focus on passengers who need assistance or additional attention.
Combined, these benefits boost Europe’s competitiveness by promoting efficient, well-connected airports and innovation across the travel and technology sectors. A clear regulatory framework can encourage continued investment and enable European technology companies to innovate and scale trusted solutions in their home market.
To unlock the full potential of biometrics in European air travel, the coalition calls for the Digital Omnibus to adopt technology-neutral rules that allow the voluntary use of biometric data (where appropriate safeguards are in place) and offer passengers non-biometric alternatives.
The coalition firmly believes the benefits of biometrics should go hand in hand with strong protections for passenger privacy and passengers’ ability to choose whether to share or request to delete their data at any time. The use of biometric solutions should be voluntary, secure and limited to a defined journey.
Research cited by the coalition found that 74% of travelers surveyed were willing to share biometric data in place of showing a passport or boarding pass, according to IATA’s Global Passenger Survey.