Industry standards developed to enable passport-free air travel worldwide

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has developed industry standards that will make passport-free travel a reality if adopted worldwide.

The newly released Recommended Practice on Digitalization of Admissibility will enable travelers to digitally prove admissibility to an international destination, avoiding a stop at the check-in desk or boarding gate for document checks, according to an IATA release issued 6 December.

Under the IATA One ID initiative, airlines are working with association to digitalise the passenger experience at airports with contactless biometric-enabled processes.  

Programmes are already in use in various airports enabling travelers to move through airport processes such as boarding without producing paper documentation because their boarding pass is linked to a biometric identifier. 

But in many cases, travelers would still have to prove their admissibility at a check-in desk or boarding gate with physical checks of paper documentation (passports, visas and health credentials for example), the IATA release added.

The Digitalization of Admissibility standard will advance the realization of One ID with a mechanism for passengers to digitally obtain all necessary pre-travel authorisations directly from governments before their trip. 

By sharing the "OK to Fly" status with their airline, travelers can avoid all on-airport document checks. 

"There is good incentive for airlines and governments as well with improved data quality, streamlined resourcing requirements and identification of admissibility issues before passengers get to the airport," said Nick Careen, IATA's Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety and Security. 

What travelers will be able to do in future: 

• Create a verified digital identity using their airline app on their smartphone  
• Using their digital identity, they can send proof of all required documentation to destination authorities in advance of travel 
• Receive a digital 'approval of admissibility' in their digital identity/passport app
• Share the verified credential (not all their data) with their airline 
• Receive confirmation from their airline that all is in order and go to the airport 

The new standards have been developed to protect passengers' data and ensure that travel remains accessible to all. Passengers remain in control of their data and only credentials (verified approvals, not the data behind them) are shared peer-to-peer (with no intermediating party). This is interoperable with the International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) standards, including those for the Digital Travel Credential. Manual processing options will be retained so that travelers will have the ability to opt out of digital admissibility processing.