SITA and NEC Corporation (NEC) have reached an agreement to expedite the deployment of digital identity technologies in the travel industry.
NEC has joined SITA’s Digital Travel Ecosystem, an open, interoperable platform that integrates diverse technologies to provide real-time digital identity verification.
SITA’s ecosystem, designed in collaboration with Indicio, eliminates the need for direct interfaces between issuers and verifiers, making adoption easier for airports, airlines, and governments.
The Trust Network is at the heart of the ecosystem, governing how digital credentials are securely transferred globally. Built with a privacy-by-design philosophy, it allows passengers control over their data, including when and with whom they reveal their credentials. The strong emphasis on data security and privacy ensures that personal information remains secure and in the hands of the traveler.
With 28% of airlines and 43% of airports planning to install biometric identity management solutions, digital identity in the next year (SITA Air Transport IT Insights 2024), demand for interoperable systems is increasing.
The absence of standardization has hampered wider adoption, however, the SITA-NEC partnership tackles this issue with a scalable framework for safe identity exchange.
Leadership Comments
“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.”
