Airports look to digital future
April 9, 2025
SITA, a global leader in air transport technology and border management, has announced a major partnership with biometric authentication specialist NEC Corporation to speed up the adoption of digital identity technology across the travel industry.
As part of the agreement, NEC will join SITA’s Digital Travel Ecosystem, an open, interoperable platform that allows real-time digital identity verification without the need for direct integrations between systems.
Developed with Indicio, the ecosystem is designed to simplify the adoption of digital ID technology for airports and airlines.
With nearly a third of airlines (28%) and over 40% of airports (43%) planning to introduce biometric identity management within the next year, according to SITA’s 2024 Air Transport IT Insights, the demand for interoperable and secure solutions is growing rapidly. A lack of standardisation has previously hindered widespread adoption.
“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,” said Jeremy Springall, Senior Vice President of Borders at SITA.
“With NEC’s biometric expertise and SITA’s industry-leading footprint of biometric touchpoints around the world, we’re well-positioned to accelerate the transformation of Digital Travel worldwide.”
“NEC brings more than 125 years of innovation and a global track record in trusted identity technologies,” said Nanaumi Nagamine, Senior Director of the DID Department at NEC.
“With SITA, we’ve 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.”
