Rapid Fire with Irra Ariella Khi of Zamna

As we count down to Phocuswright Europe, taking place in Barcelona from June 10 through June 12, PhocusWire is shining the spotlight on a selection of conference speakers in a series of Q&As.

Irra Ariella Khi, co-founder and CEO of Zamna, will take part in a hot spot session on June 11.

Below, she opens up about her priorities in 2025, her thoughts on digital identity’s future, industry challenges and what she would share with newcomers to the travel space.

What are your priorities this year?

[This year] is the year airline digital identity moves from theory into operation. Our priority at Zamna is scaling implementations with forward-thinking airline partners.

With legislation like the United Kingdom ETA [electronic travel authorization] already live and European Union ETIAS [European Travel Information and Authorization System] fast approaching, carriers are under pressure to automate how they check passports, visas and every other travel document. Our focus is helping them do that upstream—before passengers ever reach the airport.

We’re also focused on making identity work for every passenger, not just the digital natives. True digital transformation can’t rely on apps or downloads. We’re proving that identity can be inclusive, secure and invisible—working in the background to get passengers approved to fly.

How quickly do you see digital ID taking hold in travel?

Faster than most think—the big shift is that it’s now a compliance issue, not just a customer experience one. Airlines face fines and operational chaos if they let the wrong person board. That’s driving urgent investment—especially in upstream identity infrastructure.

But digital ID can’t be reduced to “biometrics at the gate.” The passport still matters. The visa still matters. What’s changing is how, where and when we verify them—and who takes responsibility. At Zamna, we verify and approve all travel documents before the airport, and we assume liability. That’s what makes it scalable.

What do you think are the greatest challenges the industry faces?

Travel is full of manual fixes to problems that shouldn’t exist. Airlines are overwhelmed by complexity: ever-changing regulations, fragmented passenger data, disconnected systems. The biggest challenge is to solve this without adding friction for travellers.

That means moving away from legacy tech and outdated thinking—and being brave enough to remove complexity, not just mask it with another app or process.

Do you believe the travel industry is innovative?

Yes, but often in the wrong places. We pour innovation into loyalty programs and seat selection, but we still have passengers turned away at boarding for visa issues no one caught earlier. Or staff stuck doing manual passport checks with PDF printouts at check-in desks.

There’s a lot of talk about seamless travel, but we need to be honest: We haven’t solved the basics. The next leap in innovation won’t be flashy. It’ll be quiet, structural and focused on what matters: Can this person fly?

What's one thing about travel you would tell newcomers to the industry?

Travel is the most inspiring and irrational sector you’ll ever work in. People will tell you things can't be done—then quietly do them six months later.

If you're building in this space, solve for the edge cases and the real world: families with kids, people without smartphones, flights delayed and rebooked last-minute. That's where the future of travel is—not in perfect conditions, but in the mess. Make it simple, and it will scale.