S5E3 - How IATA is Building Digital Trust for 360+ Airlines

How does an industry of over 360 airlines build digital trust across borders, partners, and countless intermediaries?

In this episode, Mathieu Glaude speaks with Gabriel Marquie, Digital Identity Lead at IATA, about how digital identity is transforming both airline operations and the passenger journey.

Gabriel explains how airline distribution is shifting from legacy GDS systems to modern NDC APIs, why airlines need verifiable credentials to trust travel agencies and employees, and how digital passports, biometrics, and data minimization will enable seamless and contactless travel. He also shares IATA's roadmap, including new trust frameworks and the Contactless Travel Directory, as the industry moves from pilots to coordinated global rollout.

This conversation offers a clear and practical look at the future of digital identity in aviation.

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction: The identity challenge in aviation

01:50 - IATA's role in airline distribution and trust networks

07:44 - IATA Strategic Partnership Program and collaboration

12:54 - Trust frameworks: Comparing IATA to payment networks like Visa

18:23 - B2B Use Cases: Travel agency verification deep dive

24:06 - Why airlines need to verify who's selling their seats

30:48 - Northern Block partnership and Air Canada demo

36:17 - B2C Use Cases: The complex passenger journey landscape

43:37 - Digital passport standards and ICAO coordination

50:34 - Apple and Google digital passport announcements57:54 - Biometrics, tap-and-go, and data minimization01:00:47 - Air travel doubling in 10-15 years01:02:04 - Roadmap: Contactless travel directory and next steps01:06:42 - Closing thoughts and call to action