Prior to COVID-19, several identity management projects aimed at facilitating paperless cross-border air travel were being planned or implemented in line with International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s One ID concept among APEC economies. However, solutions adopted independently by APEC economies often lacked harmonization and interoperability, decreasing the benefits of end-to-end seamlessness, efficiency, and security. Since then, the COVID-19 crisis has reinforced the need of a frictionless and interoperable process that minimizes disease-spreading physical touchpoints and smoothen passenger journey, so as to facilitate air travel recovery. This situation presents an opportunity to harmonize solution planning and rollout across APEC economies. The project aims to: (i) Assess the current level of Biometric ID awareness, understanding, and maturity among APEC economies by conducting interviews; (ii) Learn from non-APEC implementations by conducting global benchmarks; and (iii), Provide a practical guideline on Biometric ID adoption for harmonization across all APEC economies. 

This global benchmarking study provides introduction to biometrics and its adoption in air transport around the world and among APEC economies; key drivers of adopting biometric identity in APEC economies; regional biometric maturity assessment among APEC economies; biometric identification management applications in aviation; and challenges and issues faced and the proposed solutions.