IATA Urges Faster Digital ID Use to Boost Aviation Security

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is urging governments and aviation stakeholders to accelerate the adoption of digital identity technologies to enhance security and operational efficiency across the global aviation industry.

Representing over 340 airlines, IATA made the appeal during the Sydney Leaders Week Conference, which brought together aviation and security leaders from countries including the United States, United Kingdom, China, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia. IATA emphasized that adopting verifiable credentials and decentralized identifiers is essential for improving trust, document integrity, and efficiency in air travel.

Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president of operations, safety, and security, stated that digital identity solutions are a “natural next step” for global aviation. IATA is calling on governments to integrate these technologies into national and international security frameworks aligned with ICAO Annex 17 and Aircraft Operator Security Programs.

Through its One ID initiative, IATA is promoting the use of digital travel credentials, enabling passengers to verify documents pre-departure and use biometrics instead of physical IDs at airports. The initiative aligns with ICAO’s Digital Travel Credential framework and is supported by IATA’s Aviation Security Trust Framework, which focuses on regulatory harmonization and cross-sector collaboration.

IATA’s call aligns with broader digital ID trends in the travel industry. Bahrain recently upgraded its national ID card with travel-ready public key infrastructure. Meanwhile, digital ID discussions took center stage at The Phocuswright Conference, where experts highlighted the growing role of self-sovereign identity and digital wallets in modernizing the travel experience.

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IATA Urges Faster Digital ID Use to Boost Aviation Security

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