The phenomenal growth in passenger travel throughout the world is driving the need for sustainable smarter digital processing solutions.
Digital solutions have the ability to make for efficient and secure processing of more travellers.

EXPONENTIAL PASSENGER GROWTH
In 1930, there were only around 6 000 passengers travelling by air. By 1934, this had risen to just under 500,000.
Meanwhile, in 2019 this figure exploded to 4 billion travellers. The demand for air travel is continuing to grow.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) projects 8 billion air travellers annually by 2040.
AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE
To prepare for this, 425 major construction projects (worth around US$450 billion) were already underway at existing airports across the world.
The industry also invested in 225 new airport projects in 2022, according to the Center for Aviation. Bricks and mortar infrastructure is only part of the solution though.
TECHNOLOGY FOR THE FUTURE
SITA, the world’s leading specialist in air transport communications and information technology has released a white paper on how to effectively manage future passenger numbers.
SITA is the technology provider to the air transport industry, delivering solutions for airlines, airports, aircraft, and governments. Its solutions enable seamless, safe, and sustainable air travel.
The white paper, along with its case studies and insights, reveals that the future of travel isn’t some distant concept anymore. It’s happening now.
In fact, the global demand for travel is rising, and biometrics is at the forefront of this transformation.
PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE
The future of air travel is clearly outlined in the white paper – one that’s safe, ethical, and fully embraces biometrics.
It emphasizes the need to prioritize privacy, flexibility, and adaptability.
SITA’s Biometrics White Paper, ‘Face the Future’ highlights how the surge in air traveller numbers puts pressure on existing and new airports, national borders, and airline resources.
PUSH FOR DIGITAL PROCESSING
Simply put, the existing paper-based and manual travel infrastructure and legacy processes simply will not cope.
The solution, explains SITA, is in harnessing the power of facial and fingerprint biometrics to create a smoother, safer, and slicker air transport experience.
By applying advanced technological solutions SITA will also solve other industry challenges. These include space constraints, specialist staff shortages, and evolving passenger wants and needs.
DIGITAL PROCESSING SOLUTIONS
The shift to digital processing at airports has brought huge successes worldwide.
The paper also highlights the benefits of SITA’s Digital Travel Credentials (DTC) solution, a hotly anticipated verifiable digital identity shared before arrival (with the passenger’s consent) for seamless border crossing.
SEAMLESS BORDER CROSSING WITH DIGITAL PROCESSING
Some of the latest digital processing solutions mean passengers no longer need to complete immigration processing when arriving at their destinations.
An exciting example is how SITA DTCs were used to create Aruba’s Happy One Pass. This collaboration enables passengers arriving in the Caribbean island of Aruba to disembark at international arrivals and cross the border without stopping or even showing a travel document.
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SITA SMARTPATH
SITA’s new solutions allow security to be beefed up by deploying facial recognition technologies across airport touchpoints.
The research showcases successful case studies using end-to-end biometric passenger processing solution SITA Smart Path.
“SITA Smart Path biometrically enables every step of the passenger journey, from mobile enrolment to aircraft boarding and every point in between and beyond. With facial recognition across as many airport touchpoints as you need, it lets passengers manage their identity across their whole journey, in a unique and touchless way. The final result is a radically improved travel experience.”
Stefan Schaffner, VP of Airports, SITA
ADVANCED BIOMETRICS
The paper also outlines other solutions using advanced biometrics technology.
These include SITA Flex, a common-use passenger processing platform, and SITA Border Management, which covers border control, risk intelligence, and travel authorization.
Both solutions are well recognized in the industry today and are used by more than 40 airports globally.