Air New Zealand, Hong Kong Airport Earn IATA Certification
The organizations are the first to be certified for IATA digital identity and biometric technology standards.
Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Business Travel
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Air New Zealand and Hong Kong International Airport have become the first two organizations to achieve IATA One ID Certification. The status confirms their compliance with global standards for digital identity, biometric handling, and contactless travel.
Why it matters
The certification program is designed to increase public trust and support interoperability across the aviation industry. By standardizing digital identity solutions, the initiative aims to accelerate the global adoption of biometric travel.
Certification verifies adherence to standards for biometric handling and digitalizing admissibility. It reflects high consumer interest, with 78% of passengers willing to share biometric data to bypass physical documentation.
The players
Air New Zealand
The national flag carrier airline of New Zealand that provides domestic and international air transport services.
Hong Kong International Airport
The primary aviation hub for Hong Kong that manages significant passenger traffic in the Asia-Pacific region.
International Air Transport Association
The trade association for the world's airlines that represents and advocates for the industry by setting global standards.
The details
The certification process evaluates organizations across four core areas: digitalizing admissibility, contactless travel, biometric handling, and privacy and governance. Hong Kong International Airport continues to operate its Flight Token system, which has processed more than 93 million passengers since its 2021 launch.
Timeline
2021: Hong Kong International Airport launched the Flight Token system.
October 2026: IATA presented the certifications at the World Passenger Symposium.
Travel Outlook
The emergence of standardized digital identification represents a departure from traditional paper-based travel documentation. This aligns with the IATA One ID framework, which establishes the rules for interoperable biometrics across the global aviation sector.
Travelers at participating hubs can expect a more seamless, contactless process as biometric systems like Flight Token gain wider adoption. With 80% of departing passengers at Hong Kong already eligible to use such technology, document-free boarding is becoming a standard expectation.
The takeaway
Standardized biometric systems are transforming the efficiency of international transit by reducing the need for physical paperwork. Passengers should prepare to see increased digital identity options as airports and airlines integrate these tools into their standard operations.
What happens next
IATA intends to develop and launch a public trust registry that will list all organizations that have successfully earned One ID Certification.
Further reading
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