by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 8:45 AM ET, Wed March 19, 2025
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on governmental and industry stakeholders to adopt digital identity technologies to streamline aviation security at this week's Sydney Leaders Week Conference.
The association has been advocating for digitizing document verification for greater efficiency, a more secure cross-border identity verification system, and a reduced risk of fraud.
Governments play an integral role in adopting digital entry and verification systems. One such digitized entry system is the upcoming European Travel and Authorization System (ETIAS), which will replace traditional passport stamping in much of Europe.
ETIAS has been delayed about five years, first due to the pandemic and later due to the uneven implementation of the required IT systems across the European Union. It has a new start date in late 2026.
The association also recently published a white paper on the topic, called the Aviation Security Trust Framework.
"Global cooperation keeps flying secure. Adopting Verifiable Credentials and Decentralized Identifiers standards is a natural next step in reinforcing security, trust, and efficiency,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President, Operations, Safety and Security. “Every aviation stakeholder wants flying to be even more secure—which crosses geopolitical divides. The technology is ready and proven. We now need to take the momentum of this meeting and work towards obtaining a recommendation at the upcoming ICAO assembly later this year.”
IATA is the creator of the One ID initiative, a "globally interoperable digital identity standard,” allowing travelers to verify their documents before departure and use biometrics at the airport instead of physical documents like a passport.
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