Five aviation and technology organizations have formed a coalition calling on European policymakers to create a clearer regulatory framework to expand biometric deployment in air travel.
The Responsible Biometrics Travel Industry Coalition is asking policymakers to address biometric use as part of the EU’s Digital Omnibus, which aims to simplify digital and data rules.
The group includes ACI Europe, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), SITA, Amadeus and biometrics technology specialist Idemia Public Security, which Amadeus is in the process of acquiring.
In a manifesto, the coalition promotes passenger consent as a valid legal basis for voluntary biometric use under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). It also advocates for a technology-neutral approach and supports supervised testing through pilot programs and regulatory sandboxes.
The coalition argues that recent interpretations of GDPR concepts such as necessity, data minimization and proportionality are too restrictive.
In a press release, the coalition said it is seeking a balanced regulatory approach that “preserves traveler choice and allows citizens to benefit from the opportunities that biometrics can offer.”
Participation should be voluntary and reversible, the coalition said in its manifesto, with non-biometric alternatives for those who opt out.
Regulatory consistency
Heather Dahl, CEO of decentralized identity company Indicio, a PhocusWire Hot 25 Travel Startup for 2026, agreed with the coalition’s view that current European rules could constrain digital identity initiatives. (Indicio is not among the coalition’s members.)
According to Dahl, technology has undergone significant changes since GDPR was written, enabling new solutions that don’t easily fit into older regulatory frameworks.
“Each project has to prove, country by country, that nothing less intrusive would work as well as biometrics, which means 27 member states can each come to different conclusions about the same design,” Dahl said.
The lack of consistency makes it difficult for airports and airlines to invest in technology that could improve passenger experiences, she said.
Dahl agreed that carefully monitored pilots could help address the issue.
“These initiatives will yield essential operational insights, foster better regulatory understanding and shape a consistent interpretation of rules across member states.”
Impact on European aviation
Fernando Cuesta, SVP of industry affairs global development at Amadeus, called on European policymakers to take an “evidence-based approach” to biometric air travel. He said individuals should remain in control of their data, with safety, security, transparency and accountability built into system design.
“Biometrics are already deployed at scale in public-sector contexts and can make a significant contribution to managing increasing passenger volumes, strengthening security and delivering a seamless experience for passengers across Europe’s aviation ecosystem,” Cuesta said.
Beyond the passenger experience, the competitiveness of European airports is also at stake, according to Pedro Alves, SVP of borders at SITA.
“Airports outside the EU are already using this technology to make travel simpler and faster,” he said. “If EU airports cannot do the same, they will be at a disadvantage.”
Alves said connecting passengers may avoid airports where they expect long lines, a trend SITA is already seeing.
Biometrics and digital identity
Digital identity initiatives are advancing across markets, with governments developing wallets and other tools that allow people to store and share verified credentials. In the EU, member states are required to provide citizens access to a European Digital Identity (EUDI) wallet by the end of 2026.
Digital travel credentials (DTCs), which digitize verified information from government-issued travel documents, can be stored and shared through digital wallets and paired with biometric verification.
Alves said DTCs allow travelers to keep identity information, including the facial image from a government-issued document, on their own devices rather than requiring airlines or airports to store it permanently.
“DTCs give travelers more control and make the creation of digital identities more secure, but some short-term storage of biometric data is still needed for in-airport processing to work well,” he said.
Alves said a traveler’s digital identity could also apply across multiple vendors, systems and touchpoints, allowing the same verified credential to be used throughout a trip. He said using identity information directly from a verified document could reduce errors and minimize the need for manual checks.
The coalition’s manifesto cites IATA’s 2025 Global Passenger Survey, which found that 74% of respondents preferred using biometrics instead of passports and boarding passes, provided they had sufficient assurance about the security of their personal data. The coalition argues that restrictive approaches to biometric processing could also limit broader digital identity efforts.
Recent Phocuswright research suggests travelers remain cautious about biometric and digital identity technologies. Just 36% of U.K. travelers, 32% of German travelers and 25% of French travelers said they mostly or completely trust biometric airport access. Among EU travelers familiar with the EUDI wallet, 59% in France and 48% in Germany said they were likely to use it for travel.
Phocuswright’s research also found that travelers were most receptive to digital identity when it delivered clear benefits, including easier cross-border use, reduced identity-theft risk and faster airport or border processing.
The EU’s Digital Omnibus is moving through the legislative process as policymakers consider proposed changes.