SITA, a prominent player in the aviation industry, has partnered with Indicio, a Seattle-based startup specializing in decentralized identity technology. The collaboration aims to accelerate the development and deployment of digital identity technology for travel, particularly in the form of Digital Travel Credentials (DTC). With this innovation, travelers would be able to utilize a digital version of their physical passport, securely stored in their mobile devices.
The DTC, compliant with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, will enable passengers to have control over their personal data and selectively share it with various entities as required during their journey. This would eliminate the need for manual document checks, streamlining the identification process and enhancing the overall travel experience.
SITA says the technology has already been trialled in partnership with the Government of Aruba, in a pilot that let travelers arriving at the Queen Beatrix International Airport to selectively share identity data from a DTC with different entities. The new partnership will see SITA’s DTC integrate Indicio Proven, an off-the-shelf open source technology designed to let various organizations develop and configure digital credential ecosystems.
“The adoption of digital identities will be the biggest technology breakthrough in the travel industry in decades,” said SITA at Borders SVP Jeremy Springall. “It will simplify the identification process at every step of the journey and open up opportunities for the air transport industry to fully embrace the benefits of seamless travel and the digital economy.”
The news comes after SITA announced earlier this month what it described as a “landmark deal” with the Airports Authority of India to provide technology to 43 airports in the country. SITA is well known for its Smart Path platform, which supports the use of facial recognition for passenger identification.
Indicio, meanwhile, was founded in 2020 by Heather Dahl, Frances Donegan-Ryan, and Ken Ebert. The private company has reportedly raised $3.5 million in seed funding.
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August 1, 2023 – by the Mobile ID World Editorial Team
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