With the Trump administration beginning to enforce real ID laws next month, requiring Americans to carry enhanced ID cards to domestic flights, the UN is preparing to carry an equally radical and arguably complementary conversion of global air travel. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN agency, has already led what is known as the “largest (air travel) shake-up” in 50 years.
These plans are currently being discussed at the ICAO Facilitation Conference 2025 in Doha, Qatar. As a founding and active member of ICAO, the United States is expected to implement it alongside other participating countries to meet future standards. Furthermore, key elements of the UN-LED framework have already been deployed across major US airports and border control systems.
Face as a passport
According to the Times, ICAO has implemented a global framework that removes the need for both check-in counters and traditional boarding passes, whether printed or digital.
Instead, travelers receive digital travel credentials (DTS), also known as Journey Pass. This file, stored on your smartphone, includes passport data, flight details, biometric identifiers, and extras such as car rentals and seat upgrades.
Under this system, passenger faces become boarding passes. No manual check-in is required. Once scanned, the system validates your identity, checks travel status, and grants you access at each stage of your trip.
Airports use facial recognition at designated checkpoints. For checked luggage, scans occur with bag drops. If it is carried on, it occurs at the gate before security.
ICAO expects the overhaul to take place within two to three years, according to the report.
meeting
This week, the ICAO Facilitation Conference 2025 (FALC 2025) is currently underway in Doha under the theme of “Promoting the Future of Air Transport: Collaboration, Efficiency, and Inclusion.” The event brings together regulators, airport authorities, airlines and technical experts to coordinate global policies on air travel infrastructure.
One central topic is “Agenda Item 2: Travel Document Integrity and Border Management,” which promotes a global approach to identity verification and border management. Representatives are asked to make a proposal:
Standardization of travel documents in line with ICAO DOC 9303 of machine-readable travel documents (MRTDS). A new way to check IDs at border control points. Faster steps to deal with passengers and crew.
These and related initiatives aim to enhance the security of international travel documents and create a unified system for cross-border mobility.
Digital Identity and Automation
Another central topic is “Agenda Item 11: Facilitation and Artificial Intelligence Innovation to Address Digital Identity, Biometrics and Automation in Border Management.”
The discussion includes:
New technology developments across the world's air travel. Digital identity systems interoperability. AI-based ID verification and passenger flow management. Adjustments via the ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD) and Traveler Identification Program (TRIP).
The latter two programs play a fundamental role in advancing digital identity in aviation. PKD supports real-time authentication of electronic travel documents between countries. Travel promotes the adoption of biometric authentication in border treatment. Together, they form the technical foundation of a unified international digital identity system.
Representatives are expected to recommend future standards and frameworks to guide implementation.
Development of facial recognition technology in the US
While ICAO is discussing updating global standards, the US has already expanded its own biometric infrastructure through its biometric entry excit program led by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Currently, facial comparison techniques are used at 238 airports for inbound travelers, including all 14 CBP pre-environments and 49 starting points for international flights.
According to CBP, the system handles more than 697 million travelers. Face recognition is also active in 55 outbound airports, 39 ports and pedestrian lanes, both at both the southwest and north borders. The agency claims the program has blocked more than 2,000 attempts to fraudulent identity.
Meanwhile, the Road Security Agency (TSA) has begun manipulating facial recognition for domestic flights. Face recognition is currently operating at several major airports, including Atlanta, Denver and Los Angeles, and expansion is underway. Although still labelled pilot, TSA will deploy its technology to more than 80 airports and will expand to all federal airports in the coming years.
Airport operation AI
Along with the UN agenda, US airports and federal agencies integrate artificial intelligence into almost every layer of the passenger experience. Last December, the Department of Homeland Security listed 158 active AI use cases in its official inventory. That's more than double what was reported last year. Of these, 29 were already in use, while 10 people in development were flagged as affecting safety or individual rights. Almost half of them include facial recognition or face capture technology.
Currently, TSA uses a scanner with AI to flag abnormally during screening. Machine Learning Enhanced CT Scanner analyzes your baggage in real time. Face recognition combined with AI tracks movements through airport checkpoints. These systems are active in hubs such as JFK, O'Hare, and Miami.
At borders, CBP uses AI to analyze travel patterns, bookings and freight data. The goal is to assess the risk before subjects arrive.
Additionally, airlines are increasingly relying on algorithms to anticipate maintenance issues, reallocate gates, adjust staffing, and reroute passengers.
Global expansion of biometric authentication systems
Biometric authentication systems are not limited to the United States. Dubai International Airport uses facial recognition tunnels to allow passengers to pass immigrants in seconds without displaying their passports. Singapore's Changi Airport has deployed end-to-end biometric processing for check-in, bag drop, immigration and boarding. Similar programs are currently underway in Germany, the Netherlands and Japan.
In the US, Delta has introduced biometric terminals at certain airports, allowing eligible travelers to use only their faces to travel from curb to gates. American Airlines and JetBlue have launched a similar facial board program.
These developments indicate that the shift towards centralized biometric infrastructure is not theoretical. This has already been unfolding across key points of the global travel network.
