THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, SITA FOCUSED ON LEADING THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF BORDERS, AS THE NUMBER ONE PROVIDER IN TRAVELER DATA AND RISK ASSESSMENT, WITH TRULY END-TO-END INTEGRATED BORDER MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS.
As the world’s leading border management provider, SITA enables seamless yet safe and secure travel across the globe, with a comprehensive portfolio including Advance Passenger Processing (APP) for interactive pre-clearance, eVisas, Travel Authorization, intelligence and targeting, and more. The year saw the continued growth of SITA’s Borders business, driven by our industry-ownership and active engagement with multiple aviation stakeholders in regions everywhere.
Key strategic directions for SITA’s Borders business 2022-2023 and onwards: leading the industry’s drive towards digital borders
Delivering the digital and integrated border of the future, providing safe yet seamless travel, protecting travelers from security and health threats, facilitating commerce, and improving national prosperity.
Working towards a future of Digital Travel – with seamless travel from anywhere to everywhere without ever needing to show your physical travel documents, whether traveling by air, sea or rail.
Driving the digital transformation of borders for air, sea or rail travel across the world, as well as for major international sporting and cultural events, and the cargo targeting market to smooth the safe flow of goods everywhere.
As the border management industry evolves, it is driven by the changing risk landscape, cost pressures, limited space and resources, the need for better industry collaboration, and data privacy and health considerations. Across the world, governments are responding by seeking a fundamental digital transformation, with a keen eye on the rise of mobile and biometrics technologies, as well as data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) for advanced risk assessment.
SITA’s digitally-enabled solutions continue to meet the requirements, transforming travel by air, sea and land border operations with comprehensive insights, accurate and timely information, and actionable, optimized intelligence to safeguard borders everywhere. We are constantly evolving our portfolio, including shared platforms and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) models, as we focus on delivering the digital border of the future with the highest levels of security.
To deliver the digital and integrated border of the future, SITA enables the vital capability of pre-clearing passengers through SITA APP, eVisa and Travel Authorization, effectively exporting a country’s border to the point of embarkation. It means passengers arrive at the airport ready to go, minimizing hassle and queuing. Pre-clearance also avoids airlines having to bear the cost of repatriation.
Throughout the year, we continued to work towards our vision of Digital Travel, when passengers travel from anywhere to everywhere without ever needing to present physical travel documents, relying instead on digital identities offering ‘Your face is your boarding pass and passport’ capabilities. SITA maintains its leadership in the field, collaborating with industry bodies on approaches and standards, such as ICAO’s Digital Travel Credential (DTC).
Our border management solutions are now available for all modes of travel, including cruise, rail, and major international sporting and cultural events, to keep thousands of visitors moving smoothly and securely across borders at peak times. As borders by land and sea benefit from SITA’s capabilities, we will see the increasing use of data analytics and AI for advanced risk assessment. In addition, working with our subsidiary CHAMP Cargosystems, we are extending our expertise and solutions to the cargo targeting market, to implement international best practice in risk assessment.
A YEAR AT-A-GLANCE:
WORLD-LEADING BORDER SOLUTIONS, EVERYWHERE
passenger journeys a year are processed by SITA’s border solutions for over 660 airlines – a unique position for SITA in the border management market.
governments and all G20 nations use SITA’s border solutions – representing 85% of all international air passengers. Our solutions enable efficient operations, focusing on security, safety and health, while helping national prosperity by keeping borders agile and open.
since SITA began providing border solutions to the world’s governments. Starting with electronic travel authorization in 1996 for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and recently the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, easing passenger flow during the huge influx of competitors and spectators.
airlines in 2021 connect to governments through SITA’s Advance Passenger Information (API), traveler data (Passenger Name Record – PNR), and Advance Passenger Processing (APP) border solutions.
of the world’s interactive pre-clearance solutions are SITA’s. As market leaders in traveler data and interactive pre-clearance, we provide interactive Advance Passenger Information (iAPI), through SITA Advance Passenger Processing, a key capability for the trend towards pre-authorization of travelers.
A YEAR AT-A-GLANCE:
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE YEAR
EU Entry-Exit System contracts in Italy and border solutions in Jamaica, including SITA’s automated border control eGates and kiosks.
ICAO TRIP symposium sponsored by SITA, including an appearance on ICAO TV and demonstrations of ‘Spot the robot dog’ (for automated sensing, inspection, and data capture), Aruba’s digital identity trial, and ‘Digital Travel Lanes’. These lanes, combined with pre-clearance, digital identities and biometrics, enable a walk-through experience at the border and other access points.
held in Dubai, UAE and Montego Bay, Jamaica, to understand industry-wide challenges and needs from government representatives among SITA’s existing and potential customers, plus industry organizations such as ICAO and the International Border Management and Technologies Association (IBMATA).
of the Verifiable Credentials & Decentralized Identity Award, at KuppingerCole Analysts AG European Identity Conference, for a seamless, decentralized, privacy-preserving way to manage travel data, with partners Indicio and the Government of Aruba.
initiative for the Safe & Seamless Traveler Journey (SSTJ) is one of the industry initiatives in which SITA plays a key part. We are proud to work with industry bodies like the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), as well as ICAO, IATA and ACI, advocating for global standards and initiatives such as ICAO’s Digital Travel Credential (DTC).
Border Vision Advisory Group member – working with an initial group of around 20 experts from industry and academia to help shape the UK’s strategy and plans for a seamless, intuitive and fully digital end-to-end journey for travelers, interacting with the immigration system by 2025.
A YEAR AT-A-GLANCE:
CUSTOMER AND PORTFOLIO MILESTONES IN THE YEAR
trial with the award-winning Aruba initiative by the SITA Lab and partner Indicio, to a share secure travel credential with airlines, hotels and hospitality partners. The trial is now pioneering privacy-preserving decentralized identity technology and ICAO's DTC.
of all passengers is vital to the digital border of the future. SITA’s official launch of SITA Travel Authorization, eVisa and Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) are playing a key role, as governments shift to modern travel authorization solutions to enable growth through safer, easier, and more secure travel – with potential economic benefits.
are popular among SITA customers around the world to realize the pre-clearance of passengers and speed up the flow of passengers over borders. For example, the Government of Bahrain renewed its APP/eVisa contract while expanding to take on PNR and Risk Assessment. SITA provides 19 of the world’s 24 interactive Advance Passenger Information systems.
became one of the latest countries to embrace SITA’s Advance Passenger Information (API) PNR Gateway, meeting a travel data requirement by the US Customs & Border Protection agency. The solution also enables easy visualization of traveler data for lookup and search.
success enabled by SITA’s digital border and airport technologies to smooth the way for tens of thousands of visitors, including pre-clearance through SITA’s APP, combined with integrating digital identity and authorization into the Hayya digital id fan card on mobiles for travel into and throughout the country.
embraced SITA’s Digital Travel Declaration (DTD) to allow travelers to submit health, immigration, and customs documentation for entry into the country through one easy, efficient, and secure platform as travel and tourism recovered in the country.