Canada and the Netherlands are trialling a paperless travel system that requires no passport, just a smartphone.
The trial, called Known Traveller Digital Identity (KTDI), is a collaboration between border authorities, airports, airlines and technology companies and will be a pilot project for paperless travel that utilises a traveller-managed digital identity instead of a passport.
Travel Talk reports that the system will be trialled between Canada and the Netherlands in 2019, with a full release sometime next year.
Details normally stored on a passport chip will instead be stored on a smartphone, and passengers will need to share their personal data with border controls, airlines and other partners.
“By 2030, international air travel is expected to rise to 1.8 billion passengers, up 50 per cent from 2016. With current systems, airports cannot keep up,” said Christoph Wolff, Head of Mobility at the World Economic Forum (WEF), one of the partners on the initiative.
“This project offers a solution. By using interoperable digital identities, passengers benefit from a holistic system for secure and seamless travel. It will shape the future of aviation and security” and would facilitate “more streamlined and tailored interactions with governments, airlines and other partners.”
Do you like this idea? Would you be okay with allowing airports, airlines and governments access to your biometrics and personal information?
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