Aviation technology specialist SITA has warned that airports will fail to keep up with booming demand for flying if it does not invest in new technologies like biometrics.

The firm has produced Face The Future, Biometrics White Paper, looking at a key trend likely to have a growing impact on the sector in the next decade.

SITA sites industry data that shows that globally passenger numbers have rocketed from 50,000 a year in 1934 to four billion in 2019 and projected 8 billion by 2040.

To cope with this expected rise in demand 425 major construction projects worth around $450 billion are underway at existing global airports. The industry also invested in 225 new airport projects in 2022, according to the Centre for Aviation.

But SITA says physical infrastructure is only part of the solution. “Without state-of-the-art, adaptable digital solutions, airlines and airports will struggle to manage passenger numbers. This will affect the quality of the travel experience they’re able to deliver,” the firm said.

SITA says the answer lies 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, like space constraints, specialist staff shortages, and evolving passenger wants and needs.”

Face The Future highlights case studies like the Star Alliance Biometric initiative and the Indian government’s DigiYatra programme. Both use the biometric passenger processing solution SITA Smart Path.

Stefan Schaffner, vice president of airports at SITA, said: “SITA Smart Path biometrically enables every step of the passenger journey, from mobile enrollment to aircraft boarding and every point in between and beyond.

“With facial recognition across as many airport touch points 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.”

The white paper outlines more solutions using advanced biometrics technology that SITA is developing.

These include SITA Flex, a common-use passenger processing platform, and SITA Border Management, which covers border control, risk intelligence, and travel authorisation.

The white paper also focuses on SITA’s Digital Travel Credentials (DTC) solution, a verifiable digital identity shared before arrival with the passenger’s consent for seamless border crossing.

“As a member of both the IATA’s One ID initiative and the International Civil Aviation Organization’s DTC, SITA is leading the way in rolling out border-grade DTCs,” SITA said.

“They’re also helping define rigorous standards around passenger identity management within biometrics.

“An exciting example is how SITA DTCs were used to create Aruba’s Happy One Pass, a collaboration which lets passengers arriving at the Caribbean island nation of Aruba can now disembark at international arrivals and cross the border without stopping or even showing a travel document.

SITA calls on the airline industry to embrace a future that is safe, ethical, and fully embraces biometrics and stresses the need to prioritise privacy, flexibility, and adaptability.

“The white paper’s release, along with its case studies and insights, reveals that the future of travel isn’t some distant concept anymore. It’s happening now. The global demand for travel is rising, and biometrics is at the forefront of this transformation,” clams SITA.