The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recently laid the foundations for a radical transformation of air travel with its Digital Travel Credential (DTC). This initiative aims to eventually eliminate traditional boarding passes, and potentially simplify or even eliminate check-in procedures.
By allowing travellers to store their verified passport data on their smartphones, the United Nations agency aims to streamline checkpoint passages by using the facial recognition and digital identity verification. This announcement, presented as the “aviation's biggest upheaval in 50 years“This opens up a new era for travel, but also raises questions about integration, governance and data protection.
British Airways, Air France-KLM, Finnair and Saudia are among the airlines currently studying the implementation of this new technology.
| IATA had also unveiled One ID which would enable a contactless journey between the decision to travel and arrival in the country. It's a kind of operational version of the DTC. More info |
When booking a flight, passengers would download a "journey pass which would be automatically updated in the event of an itinerary change. At the airport, identity checks to be carried out via facial scans at entry points, baggage drop-off points and boarding gates. Airlines would then be informed of passengers' presence without the need for physical or online check-in. Pilot tests have already demonstrated the potential of this technology, with significantly reduced border processing times. ICAO's objective is to see this technology adopted on a large scale by airports and airlines by the year 2010. 2028.
This transition to digital travel promises many advantages. Visit border crossings could become faster and less restrictivewith early submission of information and automated controls. The elimination of paper documents such as boarding passes, would contribute to a smoother and potentially greener travel experience. What's more, in the event of flight disruptions information would be automatically updated on the journey pass, reducing stress and uncertainty for travelers.
A considerable investment in airport infrastructure will be needed to install the facial recognition and mobile device reading systems. L'system interoperability between different airports and airlines on a global scale also represents a major obstacle. From accessibility concerns have been raised, particularly for people who don't have smartphones or biometric identity documents.
The question of protection of personal and biometric data is also at the heart of the debate. While the ICAO and the companies involved claim that the data would be quickly deleted after each interactionHowever, criticism remains as to the security and management of this sensitive information.
| L'The European Union is also working on its own digital travel application. Proposed by the European Commission, the"EU Digital Travel application aims to facilitate travel to and from the Schengen area. This application will enable European and non-European citizens to create and store digital travel documents on their cell phones and submit them in advance for early border control. The application should be available from 2030 and could be integrated into European Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI Wallet). The European initiative focuses on the digitization of passports and ID cards, with an emphasis on improving the efficiency of border controls and the security of the Schengen area. A lot of initiatives, but will travelers find their way around? |
Against this backdrop of the digital transformation of travel, our travel document assistance service is at a strategic crossroads. The arrival of DTC and the European application opens up new prospects for expand our services and support travellers in this transition. We could potentially position ourselves as a facilitator for the adoption of these new technologiesby offering :
- Help with early submission of travel information for border controls (as part of the European application), to reduce waiting times.
- An extension of our services to potentially include digital identity verification and the management of digital travel identifiers, or even the sending of documents obtained within these solutions.
By anticipating these changes and adapting our services, we can not only continue to help our customers obtain their traditional travel documents, but also become a leader in the field. a key player in facilitating their transition to digital travel.
A Goode report forecasts that 1.27 billion people will be using digital travel identities by 2029
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