A new travel industry coalition is urging EU policymakers to adopt a balanced and proportionate approach to biometric travel, ensuring passengers can benefit from secure and seamless journeys while maintaining control over their personal data, privacy and fundamental rights. ACI EUROPE, Amadeus, IATA, IDEMIA Public Security and SITA have launched the Responsible Biometrics Travel Industry Coalition, calling on policymakers to ensure that the forthcoming EU Digital Omnibus supports the voluntary, secure and responsible use of biometric technologies across the travel sector.
The coalition advocates for a regulatory framework that enables innovation while safeguarding individual rights, helping deliver a smoother and more efficient passenger experience without compromising privacy protections. According to the group, biometric-enabled processes can enhance convenience and operational efficiency across the travel journey when implemented with appropriate safeguards and on a voluntary basis.
Designed to simplify Europe's digital regulatory landscape, promote innovation and strengthen the region's competitiveness, the Digital Omnibus also seeks to uphold high standards of data protection and cybersecurity. However, the coalition warns that unintended restrictions within the legislation could limit passengers' ability to choose biometric solutions and hinder the benefits these technologies can bring to travel.
The coalition is therefore calling on EU policymakers to ensure that the Digital Omnibus preserves passenger choice, supports responsible innovation and enables citizens to take advantage of secure biometric travel options while maintaining robust protections for privacy and fundamental rights.
Why Biometrics Matter
Biometric technology has the potential to transform the travel experience by making passenger journeys faster, smoother and more secure, while delivering significant operational efficiencies for airports and airlines. By reducing the need for repeated manual document checks, biometric verification can streamline passenger processing, improve traffic flows and help airports maximise the use of existing infrastructure.
For airports, biometrics can support more effective management of peak travel periods and growing passenger volumes, enabling staff to focus on travellers who require assistance or additional checks. The result is a more efficient, customer-centric travel experience that benefits both passengers and operators.
Beyond operational gains, wider adoption of biometric solutions can strengthen Europe's competitiveness by fostering innovation, enhancing connectivity and supporting the development of smarter transport infrastructure. A clear and balanced regulatory framework would provide the certainty needed to encourage investment and enable European technology providers to develop, deploy and scale trusted biometric solutions across the region.
To realise these benefits, the coalition is calling on the EU Digital Omnibus to maintain a technology-neutral approach that supports the voluntary use of biometric technologies, subject to robust safeguards for privacy, security and fundamental rights. Importantly, passengers should always retain the freedom to choose non-biometric alternatives, ensuring that convenience and innovation go hand in hand with individual choice and trust.
Protecting Privacy and Preserving Passenger Choice
The coalition believes that the adoption of biometric technologies must be underpinned by robust safeguards that protect passenger privacy, personal data and fundamental rights. The benefits of biometrics can only be fully realised when travellers remain in control of their information and are empowered to decide whether, and how, biometric solutions are used throughout their journey.
Central to the coalition’s position is the principle that biometric travel should always remain voluntary. Passengers should have the option to withdraw consent, request the deletion of their data at any time, and choose non-biometric alternatives where available. Biometric data should be processed securely, used solely for a specific travel journey and handled in accordance with the highest standards of privacy and data protection.
The coalition also points to growing passenger acceptance of biometric-enabled travel. According to IATA’s Global Passenger Survey, 74% of travellers surveyed said they would be willing to share biometric data instead of presenting a passport or boarding pass, reflecting increasing confidence in technologies that can simplify and streamline the travel experience.
By combining innovation with transparency, security and meaningful passenger choice, the coalition argues that biometrics can help deliver a more seamless travel experience while maintaining public trust and protecting individual rights.
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