Journey Pass: ICAO Prepares to Scrap Boarding Passes with Biometric IDs

The days of hunting for your boarding pass at the gate—or racing through check-in queues—may soon be over. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is spearheading a sweeping modernization of air travel, aiming to replace traditional check-ins and boarding passes with “Digital Travel Credentials” (DTCs), also known as the journey pass, within the next two to three years.

Upon booking a flight, passengers would instantly receive a journey pass on their mobile device—a secure, automatically updating digital credential that holds passport data, flight details, and more. Facial recognition technology at airport checkpoints would match this to the passenger, eliminating the need for physical documents or printed tickets.

Amadeus, a leading travel-tech provider, describes this shift as the most significant transformation in aviation since the advent of e-ticketing. Importantly, the biometric data interacting with airport infrastructure would be deleted within 15 seconds of use—addressing key privacy concerns.

Some airports, such as those in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, are already experimenting with similar technologies under initiatives like the “Smart Travel Project.”

Despite its promise, this futuristic overhaul faces hurdles. Airports, especially smaller ones, will need major infrastructure upgrades, including facial-recognition systems and mobile ID scanners, raising both cost and compatibility challenges.

Additionally, concerns linger around excluding passengers without smartphones or those wary of biometric data usage. Still, pilot programs and early tests, such as those in the UAE and Europe, are already showing smoother, faster passenger flows. If aligned across airlines, governments, and technology platforms, the journey pass could redefine global aviation by 2028