IATA Survey Shows Growing Demand for Digital Travel as Entry Rules Deter Passengers

Biometric identification reached 58% of passengers during the previous 12 months, rising from 50% in 2025 and gaining 24 percentage points since 2022.

The International Air Transport Association's 2026 Global Passenger Survey shows travelers increasingly turning to biometrics, digital passports and artificial intelligence to make journeys easier. Passengers are using facial recognition at airports and exploring AI tools for flight searches, fare comparisons and destination ideas. Complicated immigration requirements are also influencing travel decisions, with more respondents reporting that entry rules have discouraged them from visiting a destination.

Biometric identification reached 58% of passengers during the previous 12 months, rising from 50% in 2025 and gaining 24 percentage points since 2022. Almost half of travelers, or 49%, have used AI for travel planning, showing how technology is becoming part of the journey before passengers reach an airport. Immigration requirements deterred 43% of respondents from visiting a destination, compared with 33% in the previous survey.

Nick Careen, IATA's Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety and Security, said passengers want technology that reduces repeated checks and makes travel easier. He called on governments to simplify entry requirements, eliminate duplicate checks and accelerate the issuance and acceptance of secure digital travel credentials. The findings give airlines and governments a clearer picture of demand for convenient services and the privacy concerns that could affect their adoption.

Biometrics Gain Ground as Digital Passports Attract Interest

Satisfaction among passengers who used biometrics reached a survey high of 87%, compared with 86% in 2025. Some 78% would share biometric information to avoid presenting a passport or boarding pass at airport checkpoints. Among that group, 75% would prefer to register once before traveling and be recognized automatically throughout their airport journey.

Digital passports attracted strong interest, with 84% willing to use one for online check-in instead of a physical passport. Another 82% expressed interest in sharing a digital passport with an airline after paying for a booking to receive more personalized services, including visa guidance. The same proportion welcomed a smartphone combining a digital wallet, digital passport and loyalty cards for booking, payment and airport procedures on departure and arrival.

Privacy remains a central concern, with 59% worried about data breaches, 49% concerned about information being shared with other organizations and 41% seeking greater clarity about how personal information is handled. Careen said broader biometric use could support smoother passenger journeys and more efficient, secure processes for airlines and governments. He urged governments to agree on a framework for issuing and accepting secure digital passports, also known as Digital Travel Credentials.

AI Planning Expands as Immigration Processes Discourage Travel

The survey found that 21% of passengers had used AI to search for flights to a specific destination, making this the most common travel-planning use. Finding the cheapest flights accounted for 19%, and seeking inspiration for a destination accounted for 17%. Careen said airlines need their offerings to appear in AI tools and should provide convenient ways to turn an AI conversation into a booking.

Among passengers discouraged by immigration requirements, 53% blamed the complexity of the process, with privacy and cost each cited by 17%. Of those discouraged from visiting a destination because of geopolitical conflict, 72% identified safety as the main reason and 13% cited uncertainty about whether travel was possible. These findings show how entry procedures and uncertainty surrounding a destination can influence decisions before a ticket is purchased.

Demand for earlier digital processing increased, with 86% likely to share immigration information electronically before departure, up from 83% in 2025. Some 45% preferred completing immigration procedures before reaching the airport, compared with 41% previously, and 60% favored online visa applications against 25% preferring an embassy or consulate visit. Careen called for common eVisa verification standards, saying more than 100 countries issue electronic visas with little consistency in how airlines check them.

Regional Results Reveal Different Priorities for Digital Travel

African travelers ranked among the most satisfied and were the most likely to have been discouraged by immigration requirements, with complexity followed by cost driving their concerns. Biometric adoption in Africa remained among the lowest, despite some of the strongest interest in digital travel solutions. Asia-Pacific recorded the highest overall satisfaction and the second-highest willingness to use biometrics, with data breaches and complex immigration processes remaining concerns.

European travelers reported the lowest overall satisfaction and the greatest caution toward digital travel technology, with AI and biometric use below global averages. Their willingness to use biometrics and digital passports during booking and online check-in was also lower than elsewhere. North America recorded the highest biometric use and strongest concern about data breaches, above-average worries about information sharing and handling, and the lowest likelihood of being deterred by immigration requirements.

Latin America and the Caribbean ranked second for overall satisfaction and recorded the largest improvement from 2025, alongside strong demand for completing immigration procedures before airport arrival and sharing information digitally. Biometric use remained below average in the region, where concerns about personal information being shared and handled were the highest. Middle Eastern travelers led in AI planning, interest in digital passports and biometrics, and satisfaction with biometric services, with cost cited more frequently than elsewhere among those deterred by immigration rules, behind complexity.