The Changing Shape of the Smart Border How overlapping technology cycles are reshaping border control Walk around a major border technology exhibition and you can see several generations of the solutions on show side by side. One stand may be demonstrating remote identity verification or a digital travel credential. Another may be showing how a…
Introduction Over the UK bank holiday weekend in April, I travelled to Luxembourg and experienced the EU’s European Union Entry/Exit System (EES) for the first time, with my entry and exit recorded electronically to enable real-time tracking of movements. This is something I have been taking note of with our new report, “Smart Borders 2026:…
The proposed €1.2 billion acquisition of IDEMIA’s Public Security (IPS) division by Amadeus IT Group marks a significant step in the continued convergence of travel technology and government border infrastructure. It is also one of the most consequential developments in the evolution of the airport and border technology ecosystem in recent years, following several other…
Walking the floor at PTE 2026 in London, several things stood out to me: the hustle and bustle of the event, the conversations happening around me, and, of course, the solutions on show that promise to reshape the passenger journey. However, one of the most striking aspects was the fragmented nature of the event. There…
Passenger Terminal World Expo felt as busy and productive as ever this year – a packed schedule of meetings, catch-ups and plenty of candid conversations across the ecosystem. What stood out wasn’t a single breakthrough, but a shift in mindset. For a sector that has traditionally operated in siloes – with border control, passenger processing,…
Introduction 2026 will act as a stress test for airports and border control infrastructure; rising passenger volumes, biometric capture mandates, expanding pre-approved traveller programmes, and contactless journey ambitions are colliding with legacy systems that were never designed for high-frequency, digital and biometric processing. With this, we see the industry’s response unfolding in a ‘three-speed’ timeline,…
Introduction With 11,791 biometric border control solutions deployed in airports globally, nations around the world continue to show an appetite in enhancing their border clearance processes through the deployment of automated and biometric technologies. Increasingly, regulations are being put into place that mandate the capture the biographic, biometric, and entry/exit data of travellers; highlighted by the recent introduction of the European Union’s EU Entry-Exit System (EU-EES), the full-scale launch of…
Introduction I see identity verification and selfie facial recognition as essential building blocks for air travel and border control. The adoption we see now is critical for the future capabilities of airlines, airports and border agencies, saving them time and money. Investment into remote enrolment capabilities and opportunities have graduated from smaller scale pilots to full-scale programmes and frameworks, and with this, a new era of passenger processing is upon us. Travellers are now…
CLEAR’s transition from a kiosk-centric identity platform to an eGate-enabled aviation security solution marks a significant strategic pivot – and also a new direction for the TSA and US aviation security – and creates a launchpad for ASSA ABLOY and HID Global as its develops its airport business unit. Historically built on lane-based, staff-assisted biometric verification, CLEAR’s move into automated pre-security eGates – using what looks very much like Assa Abloy…
There’s a moment every frequent traveller knows well: that tiny flash of panic when you pat your pockets and wonder, “Where’s my passport?” Now imagine that moment disappearing – not because you’ve become more organised (we can dream), but because your passport lives safely in your phone, alongside your boarding pass, your hotel keys, and the loyalty card you forgot you even had. This is…
Introduction In Part I, we examined what the EU Entry/Exit System (EU-EES) is, how it differs to legacy border control processes and the challenges that caused its delayed launch. In this follow-up, we move beyond this to explore the unexpected opportunities the system creates for both vendors and government agencies, the impact of remote enrolment,…
Air travel has been massively impacted and disrupted in the past six months. Until Covid-19 hit, the biggest challenge facing airport operators and airlines was how to cope with an ever-increasing demand for air travel and the limited infrastructure to support it. Now, they are scrambling for survival as the industry has been turned on…
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