Digital identity’s role in IATA’s ecosystem grows with NDC, Macau’s One ID launch

The International Air Transport Association’s plan to upgrade air travel infrastructure to make the sector more efficient for the hundreds of airlines that make up its membership rests heavily on digital identity and digital travel credentials. A new implementation of IATA’s One ID shows where the program is at today, just as an official from the organization explains its vision for the more connected future of travel in a podcast appearance.

IATA expects air travel to double again over the next 10 to 15 years, IATA Digital Identity Lead Gabriel Marquie told host Mathieu Glaude, host of the SSI Orbit podcast. That puts a clock on efficiency improvements that will make room for the extra passengers.

Improving passenger experiences with IATA’s One ID is an incremental process, and Marquie and Glaude discussed the benefits of extending the system to interactions like duty-free purchases, where biometrics could support data minimization, and hospitality reservations, where the credential generated for travel could be reused.

The industry body has also developed the NDC (New Distribution Capability) technical standard for integrated commercial systems, which replaces the GDS (Global Distribution Services). GDS was formulated to allow travel agencies to book flights, but the more sophisticated ecosystem IATA is standing up requires the system to recognize digital identity.

The NDC issues a digital identity to the travel agency in the form of a verifiable credential, and Marquie says the same system can also be extended to other commercial partners.

The latest One ID implementation is in Macau, where biometric gates have been deployed at Macau International Airport for faster passenger processing.

Travellers can enroll in MIA One ID at check-on counters, self check-in kiosks or security egates. The system cost 43 million Macanese pataca (roughly US$5.4 million) to set up, according to an announcement from the airport.

A tourist from the mainland described a fast and smooth process for confirming his identity with facial recognition and submitting fingerprint biometrics in a video posted to Facebook by TDM Canal Macau.

Biometric steps forward at Philippines, Russia, Morocco airports

Passengers arriving in Manila, Philippines can now pass through immigration checks within 20 seconds using Amadeus biometrics.

Two dozen biometric gates were deployed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) as of December, 2025, and another 54 are expected to be installed in early 2026. The system uses Amadeus’ Seamless Journey Platform to connect to backend systems and orchestrate the identity verification, document authentication and real-time monitoring that are parts of the updated passenger journey.

“Delivering a better NAIA starts with investing in technology that removes long‑standing bottlenecks,” says New NAIA Infrastructure Corporation President Ramon S. Ang. “Leveraging Amadeus’ state‑of‑the‑art technology, we are proud to have put in place a biometric immigration process that clears travelers in seconds and raises both efficiency and security.”

Meanwhile in Russia, Aeroflot completed a successful test of its airport biometrics service in collaboration with Pulkovo Airport and the Biometric Technology Center in December, AK&M reports.

Passengers can enroll for the system from the Aeroflot website and then use biometrics for flight check-ins, security checks and flight boarding. The “Migom” service is expected to reach production for passengers during the second half of 2026.

Morocco launched a fully digitalized passenger journey including biometric gates at Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca ahead of the traffic surge expected from Afcon 2025, according to We are Tech.

Article Topics

airport biometrics  |  biometrics  |  digital identity  |  digital travel  |  digital travel credentials  |  International Air Transport Association  |  One ID  |  passenger processing