Courbevoie – October 01, 2026 -- ACI EUROPE, Amadeus, IATA, IDEMIA Public Security and SITA have formed the Responsible Biometrics Travel Industry Coalition, pressing EU policymakers to prevent the bloc's Digital Omnibus legislation from restricting voluntary biometric use in air travel.
The five organizations argue the current legislative proposal, designed to simplify Europe's digital rulebook and strengthen competitiveness, could unintentionally curb passengers' ability to opt into biometric verification at airports.
Coalition publishes manifesto demanding technology-neutral EU rules
The group released a manifesto, 'Advancing Responsible Biometrics in Europe,' calling for regulation that keeps biometric participation voluntary, secure and limited to a single defined journey, while requiring airports and airlines to offer non-biometric alternatives. The manifesto also pushes for legal clarity to let European technology firms scale biometric solutions domestically.
Industry survey shows 74% of travelers favor biometric data over paper documents
Citing IATA's Global Passenger Survey, the coalition states 74% of surveyed travelers were willing to share biometric data instead of presenting a passport or boarding pass. Operationally, biometric verification cuts repeated manual document checks, raising passenger throughput and allowing airports to manage peak traffic without expanding terminal infrastructure.
ICAO forecasts nearly triple passenger volumes by 2050
The coalition references ICAO projections showing global air passenger traffic reaching 12.4 billion annually by 2050, almost three times 2024 levels, as a core rationale for deploying biometric systems to handle capacity constraints at European airports.
Five senior executives sign off on the policy push
The coalition is represented by Olivier Jankovec, Director General of ACI EUROPE; Fernando Cuesta, Senior Vice President at Amadeus; Thomas Reynaert, Senior Vice President at IATA; Lisa Shoemaker, Senior Vice President at IDEMIA Public Security; and Pedro Alves, Senior Vice President at SITA. In a joint statement, the coalition said EU policymakers have 'the opportunity to put Europe in the global lead on biometric regulation,' while insisting biometric journeys must remain based on passenger choice and voluntary participation.
The manifesto also calls for structured public-private dialog to address limited airport capacity and strengthen the competitiveness of Europe's transport and tourism sectors, which the coalition says serve more than a billion European air travelers each year.