An Analyst’s Opinion of PTE 2026: “A Shift in Mindset – From Innovation to Implementation”

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,…

Airports and Borders Predictions for 2026: A Three-Speed Transition to Contactless Travel

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,…

11,700+ Biometric Solutions at Airport Borders Drives Wider Automation in Airports

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…

Travel Industry Catches Up with Digital Onboarding – and Here’s Why

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 Business Model Evolution and the Strategic Shift to Pre-Security eGates

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…

From Boarding Pass to Digital Passport: Why Your Phone Is Becoming Your New Travel Wallet

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…