The investment in Seattle-headquartered Indicio, a market leader in decentralised identity technology, cements a long-standing partnership which is accelerating the development and deployment of trusted digital identities for travel, SITA said.
Jeremy Springall, senior vice president borders, SITA, said: “Digital identity is the biggest catalyst for change in air transport in more than a decade. The emergence of digital identities means we can fundamentally rethink today’s complex passenger journey to make it easier, faster, and connected with the wider travel ecosystem. It will simplify the identification process at every step and open up opportunities for the air transport industry to fully embrace the benefits of seamless travel and the digital economy. Our investment in Indicio reinforces our partnership in leading the market with this technology.”
The development of digital identities allows passengers to securely create a digital version of their physical passport called a Digital Travel Credential (DTC) in line with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. The DTC is stored as a verifiable credential in the passenger’s mobile wallet alongside their airline digital ID.
Using SITA’s trust network, SITA and Indicio have uniquely enabled travel documents such as visas, boarding passes and frequent flyer accounts to be added to a passenger’s digital identity. This means travellers can keep control of their personal data with only required passenger data shared before travel, making it possible to cross the border before you fly. This unique trust network will enable seamless digital processes using verified identity and data to digitally transform identity checks and border control, creating seamless travel across commercial aviation, maritime, and land travel and transportation, events, and hospitality.
Heather Dahl, co-founder and chief executive officer of Indicio, said: “The success of our work with SITA bringing digital identity and the trust network to life has shown that the sky is not the limit. We are transforming every part of our collective digital journey by adding the kind of trust that has previously been elusive and is blocking the evolution of the digital economy. When you can be sure of the source and integrity of any data, you can rearrange the world to make it a much better and better-functioning place. Trust has always been the bedrock of prosperity and growth. With SITA as a partner, this is the kind of digital transformation we are talking about, where trust in verified data enables everything.”
