SITA enters deal to improve management of passengers’ biometric data

SITA has signed a partnership deal with travel ID verification and data sharing company Zamna, which will enhance the former’s ability to handle and manage passenger biometrics and other data securely.

According to an announcement, the agreement, which was signed in Jordan on 24 January on the sidelines of a meeting of the Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO), means SITA will integrate its solutions with Zamna’s decentralized blockchain technology.

This will modernize how passenger data like passport, visa, and health information is verified and handled, thus bringing security, convenience and efficiency advantages for travelers, airlines, airports and governments worldwide, according to the announcement.

The integrated solution, to be first deployed by AACO’s more than 30 airlines, is intended to reduce the number of times passengers have to present their documents at airport touchpoints and significantly reduce processing time for passenger checks.

The solution also allows for the data verification processes to be done safely and securely throughout the passenger journey, thus eliminating duplicate processes, increasing trust, and improving the passenger experience, the partners say.

“The partnership with Zamna Technologies powers the next step in the journey to SITA’s vision of enabling a truly connected and digital travel experience along with all the benefits it will deliver: efficiency, improved passenger experience, and increased security,” says SITA CEO David Lavorel.

Also commenting on the partnership, Zamna CEO Irra Ariella Khi says: “SITA has already made great strides into making seamless travel possible with their innovative digital travel solutions […] Together, we will leverage Zamna’s digitization of travel documents and processes through Identity Rails to make travel significantly more efficient and deliver secure travel identity for all — through airports and across borders.”

Last month, SITA partnered with Romanian firm TechTalent Software to build a research center to develop new biometric passenger processing solutions.

SITA Asia-Pacific President Sumesh Patel also recently said that the company learned lessons on innovative methods of ensuring smooth passenger flows, especially from the coronavirus pandemic.

Article Topics

airport biometrics  |  biometrics  |  blockchain  |  data protection  |  digital identity  |  SITA  |  Zamna