Biometric processing at airports is preferred despite concerns
Once watched with fear Airport biometric scans are now preferred and even expected by global travelers, according to a report by air transportation technology company Sita.
“The more passengers use it, the more they will like it,” the report stated.
The report stated that the number of people not using biometric technology at airports worldwide decreased from 41% in 2024 to 31% this year.
Sarah Samuel, senior vice president of airport and airline operations in Asia-Pacific for travel technology company Amadeus, said comfort levels have increased as consumers use biometric authentication to access everything from mobile phones to businesses.
The expectation is that “everything is on-demand” these days, including travel, he said, citing the influence of Uber and Netflix.
Biometric technology is most popular among younger travelers, men and frequent flyers, according to Sita’s 2025 Passenger IT Insights report, released Oct. 6 and surveying nearly 7,500 passengers at airports in 25 countries.
According to the report, adoption rates are highest at airports in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East/Africa.
“Turnout is definitely very high in APAC,” Samuel said, referring to the region’s young population. and high mobile phone penetration. “We are ahead compared to other parts of the world.”
Amadeus has helped introduce biometric processing at various airport locations in Singapore, Japan, Australia, India and, most recently, Bali.
“There used to be very big, very long immigration lines” in Bali, he said. It is now “an empty hall.”
Increased comfort with digital identities
Amadeus is preparing to launch “proximity biometrics” soon, Samuel said. The technology works through a digital identity wallet that is stored on passengers’ phones and linked to various touchpoints throughout the airport. However, when the passenger walked away, all data was deleted, he said.
The technology will be rolled out in Asia-Pacific next year, he said.
Biometric and traditional border controls
62% of flyers said they preferred biometric checkpoints over traditional border counters
Digital IDs, which store passports and other details on travelers’ phones, will transform travel in the same way digital wallets transform payments, according to Sita’s report.
It has been observed that passengers have now accepted this idea more, and their comfort levels have increased from 74% in 2024 to 79% in 2025. The report noted that most travelers said they were comfortable sharing their digital identity and biometric information before traveling.
As younger, digitally savvy consumers take flight, the number of digital ID users will grow from 155 million in 2024 to 1.27 billion by 2029., According to Sita.
Data privacy concerns
Travelers may embrace the speed and convenience of biometric processing, but many still have concerns, according to Sita’s report.
Only 3% of travelers said they had no concerns about biometric identification.
While digital IDs reduce travelers’ concerns about losing their passports, they may increase their fears of losing their phones, the data showed.
Even in Asia-Pacific, where technology is rapidly being adopted, many travelers say they are uncomfortable with their personal data being shared with online travel platforms, according to a survey by data analytics company Qlik.
The survey of more than 4,000 people showed that travelers are more willing to share some data they already provide on online apps, such as budgets and booking history. However, information about live locations is listed near the bottom of the list.
Indian respondents said they were least concerned about data privacy. Meanwhile, the survey showed that Japanese travelers showed the most concern, with nearly 34% saying they were hesitant to share any type of data.
“India has a much younger population compared to Japan,” Amadeus said.‘ Samuel added that technology adoption rates at airports also vary by culture and age.
But the appeal of faster, more efficient travel with fewer documents and airport bottlenecks is hard to resist.
Samuel said he travels lighter these days because most of the things he needs, including ID and credit cards, are stored electronically.
“I’ve had taxi drivers say, ‘Are you sure you’re ready to travel? … You don’t have a carry-on bag,'” she said. “I… I have everything on my phone.”
— CNBC’s Kaela Ling contributed to this report.
