Biometrics at Airports: IDEMIA Advocates a Responsible European Model

Airport biometrics are becoming increasingly common in air travel, but their adoption no longer depends on technological performance alone. Faster passenger processing, data protection, consent and regulatory requirements are now closely intertwined. On 1 October 2026, IDEMIA Public Security, ACI EUROPE, Amadeus, IATA and SITA announced the formation of the Responsible Biometrics Travel Industry Coalition. Its aim is to promote the voluntary and secure use of biometrics across Europe, improving the passenger journey while ensuring that individuals remain in control of their personal data.

Airport biometrics and rising passenger numbers

For airports and airlines, biometric verification addresses a very practical challenge: processing more travellers without adding manual checks and increasing queues.

Facial recognition and other biometric solutions can reduce repeated passport or boarding pass checks, speed up passage through different checkpoints and help existing airport infrastructure handle peak periods more effectively.

This challenge is becoming increasingly important as European airports welcomed approximately 2.6 billion passengers in 2025. ACI EUROPE forecasts further passenger traffic growth of around 3.3% in 2026, while infrastructure capacity remains constrained. Technology is therefore also becoming a valuable tool for optimising passenger flows.

Biometric travel must remain a matter of choice

The coalition nevertheless advocates an explicitly voluntary approach. According to its manifesto, travellers must be able to choose whether to use biometrics, withdraw their consent and retain access to a genuinely viable non-biometric alternative.

This position reflects strong passenger expectations. The coalition’s manifesto, published by IATA, refers to IATA’s 2025 Global Passenger Survey, which found that 74% of respondents prefer using biometrics rather than repeatedly presenting their passport or boarding pass, provided they receive sufficient assurances about the security of their personal data. Among those who have already used biometrics, 86% report being satisfied with the experience.

The objective is therefore no longer simply to speed up identity checks. It is to create an experience in which identity can be verified quickly while every passenger retains control over their journey.

Data protection and responsible biometrics

This transformation remains subject to strict safeguards. Biometric data is particularly sensitive, and the European Data Protection Board has already highlighted the risks associated with facial recognition at airports, particularly in relation to security, misidentification and discrimination. In line with the principles of GDPR and biometric data protection, the coalition advocates a privacy- and security-by-design approach: collecting only the data that is necessary, securing its storage, using encryption, strictly controlling access, defining appropriate retention periods and ensuring that processing activities are traceable. It also calls for a sufficiently clear, technology-neutral European framework that enables new biometric passenger journeys to be tested under regulatory supervision.

For Biotime Biometrics France, this initiative highlights a fundamental shift in the market: the performance of a biometric solution is no longer measured solely by identification speed. Integration, security and control over personal data are becoming equally decisive. At airports and in other sensitive environments, the future of biometrics will depend on achieving the right balance between security, seamless passenger journeys and trust.

Source: IDEMIA Public Security / Responsible Biometrics Travel Industry Coalition, 1 October 2026.