Air transport industry IT company Societe Internationale de Telecommunications Aeronautiques (SITA) and IT and electronics company NEC Corporation have signed an agreement to accelerate the adoption of digital identity technology in the travel industry.

By addressing longstanding interoperability challenges, the collaboration will increase the adoption of digital identities by passengers, thereby helping the industry reduce bottlenecks, improve security and enhance the passenger experience at every touchpoint.

With 28% of airlines and 43% of airports planning to implement biometric identity management solutions in the next 12 months, demand for interoperable systems is growing, the companies say.

A lack of standardisation has slowed widespread adoption, but the SITA-NEC collaboration addresses this challenge through a scalable framework for secure identity exchange, they add.

Through this collaboration, NEC joins SITA’s Digital Travel Ecosystem, which is an open, interoperable framework that connects various systems for real-time digital identity verification.

Developed in partnership with digital identity verification solutions company Indicio, SITA's ecosystem eliminates the need for direct integration between issuers and verifiers, simplifying adoption for airports, airlines and governments, the company says.

At the core of the ecosystem is the Trust Network, which governs how digital credentials are shared securely around the world. Built with a privacy-by-design approach, it gives travellers control over their data, including when and with whom they share their credentials.

Strong emphasis on data security and privacy means that personal information remains protected and in the hands of the traveller, SITA highlights.

“After years of investment, aviation and other travel stakeholders are now seeing the full potential of digital identities and the industry is gearing up to scale,” says SITA Border senior VP Jeremy Springall.

“With NEC’s biometric expertise and SITA’s footprint of biometric touchpoints around the world, we are well-positioned to accelerate the transformation of Digital Travel worldwide,” he notes.

“NEC brings more than 125 years of innovation and a global record in trusted identity technologies,” says NEC Decentralised Identifiers Department senior director Nanaumi Nagamine.

“With SITA, we have delivered proven biometric solutions at airports around the world, creating secure and seamless travel experiences for thousands of passengers every day. This expanded collaboration will accelerate global adoption and set a new standard for trusted digital identity in travel,” he says.