Securing the travel with digital identity and a new standard for airport travelers

Air travel depends on trust. We expect our personal information to be handled with care while we move through airports and across borders.

If you have been traveling and shared your information with Air France you might have been one of many passengers who recently have received an email from the airline stating that they have had a data breach and that your personal information might have been compromised.

Specifically, a fraudster gained limited access to a third-party system that is used by Air France.

This recent data breach, in this particular case, involving Air France is a reminder that this trust between passenger and airline is fragile. While details are still emerging, what is clear is that sensitive information is shared and kept by multiple organisations, each playing a role in keeping passengers moving, and being focal points where vulnerabilities can appear.

The global travel network is built on the constant usage of data within airlines, customs, and security agencies. The connections between these make modern air travel possible, yet they also create complexity. When the systems are fragmented, the risks grow; delays, misplaced baggage, and in the most serious cases, exposure of passenger information.

To maintain both speed and security for a seamless passenger journey, the industry needs a more unified approach to managing their data, one that allows the right information to move efficiently between trusted partners while keeping privacy protections at its core.

A new blueprint for border control

Airlines and border security is under constant pressure to move as many passengers as quickly as possible through the airport while keeping threats out. At a busy international airport, officials must verify identities in seconds, often using systems that are slow, fragmented and prone to security and compliance risks. The result can be long queues, frustrated travelers, and missed opportunities to act on timely intelligence.

Partisia’s technology is showing how implementing a privacy-first digital infrastructure can change this dynamic for the airports. The approach combines advanced security techniques with a passenger experience that feels faster and more transparent.

Strengthening security while protecting privacy: Using Multi-Party Computation (MPC), immigration authorities can securely share passenger information with customs without ever exposing the passengers raw personal data. This enables real-time collaborative profiling and risk assessment, allowing officers to focus resources where they matter most while keeping low-risk travelers moving. Private data stays protected, yet security teams get a fuller picture to work from.
Removing single points of failure: With Decentralized Identity (DID), a passenger’s identity and data lives securely on their own device, not in a central database. This removes a prime target for large-scale breaches and spreads out the risk, making it harder to compromise.
Giving passengers control: A biometric scan or secure QR code that links directly to an encrypted, verified profile where travelers can see and manage what they share, turning them from passive data points into active participants in their own journey.

Privacy is not a trade-off here. It becomes an advantage, strengthening security, streamlining travel, and building trust at the same time.

Building a future-ready infrastructure

The issues facing Air France and other airlines reflect a larger problem: the aviation industry is relying on systems that were never built for the scale and complexity of today’s travel. The cracks are starting to show in security gaps, slow processes, and a growing loss of passenger trust at a time then it is most important to protect.

Airports that modernize their digital identity infrastructure will now be better equipped to handle these pressures. They can offer faster, more reliable journeys, protect sensitive data, and stay aligned with evolving national and international standards.

In Colombia and beyond, travelling generally involves navigating customs and immigration and this is a chance for airports to redefine their role. With the right infrastructure, they can operate as trusted gateways in a connected national network, working seamlessly with border control, government services, and global partners. Instead of patching over vulnerabilities, they can build lasting advantages - turning today’s operational risks into tomorrow’s strengths.

Contact Partisia today to explore how our blockchain-powered platform can drive growth and innovation in your business.