March 30, 2026

When traveling by air, passengers are repeatedly asked to prove who they are, from check-in and security to boarding and international transfers. This means having to show their passports and boarding passes multiple times all over the boarding process.

As privacy regulations worldwide tighten, the travel industry faces growing pressure to balance convenient, personalized passenger experiences with responsible data management.

Verifiable credentials offer a compelling solution by allowing passengers to move through multiple airports without repeatedly having to show their passports and boarding passes at any touchpoint. This method could also eliminate the need to re-register biometric or identity details at every airport, providing travelers with a much more seamless airport experience, all while keeping user credentials safe and secure.

The Interoperability Problem in Today’s Digital Travel

Biometric gates and digital boarding systems have now become increasingly common. However, many of them are still independently deployed at each airport. Passengers who register their facial data at one airport will usually need to re-register at connecting airports to pass through them. While identity verification does offer convenience to passengers, for now, it doesn’t travel with them beyond one airport.

For airports, these advantages would translate to improved passenger flow and increased throughput capacity. By facilitating quicker identity verification and minimizing manual interventions in security zones and gate areas, they would be able to handle larger passenger volumes with optimized staffing levels.

Building a Broader Digital Identity Ecosystem

While aviation is in a demanding environment for identity verification, it’s definitely not the only one. The need for infrastructure that supports interoperable, privacy-conscious digital identity doesn’t end at the airport gate. Many industries could benefit from the convenience and security that these technologies provide.

NEC, with a proven track record in biometric authentication, has consistently focused on secure identity verification across various contexts. Leveraging this experience, we are now at the forefront of creating the next era of ID-driven platforms.

As the need for verifiable credentials expands across sectors, secure methods for issuing and verifying them will become increasingly essential. In the future, this platform can be utilized beyond the aviation industry. Digital credentials might streamline processes like issuing university graduation certificates for visa applications, tax procedures, healthcare operations, hotel check-ins, car rental paperwork, and other daily activities that depend on trusted identity verification.

Creating Value through Trusted Digital Identity

Organizations face challenges such as ensuring reliable information, simplifying complex processes, using data flexibly, and connecting digital systems to real-world interactions, all while enhancing the service experience.

NEC addresses these challenges with its DID/VC solutions, which integrate advanced face recognition, public identity document linkage, and proprietary technologies. Ensuring both identity assurance and information authenticity, these solutions allow users to maintain self-sovereign control over their credentials. They also support the safe and secure use of data.

In aviation and beyond, a trusted digital identity and verifiable credential infrastructure is emerging as a promising foundation for a more seamless, connected society. This infrastructure has the potential to create a significant societal impact worldwide, and NEC is leading the way in its development.

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