Amadeus Ventures agrees investment in biometric identity verification specialist Airside

Amadeus invests in mobile identification company

Amadeus has secured an investment in mobile biometric identity technology firm Airside.

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Airside’s identity verification platform allows US travellers and Canadian visitors to the US to use its passport application to pass through customs more efficiently.

Authorised by US Department of Homeland Security, Airside says its application has already been downloaded by over eight million passengers and is recognised in over 30 US airports.

Users submit their passport and Customs declaration forms to the Airside app ahead of departure to access faster lanes at security and then a decision about border entry is made after the traveller scans their app.

Amadeus said it plans to deploy the technology beyond custom checks. As Amadeus works on a global basis, it hopes the technology can be applied to bookings, cruise ship boarding and remote hotel check-ins to better customer experiences.

In terms of privacy, Airside puts the control over data into the hands of the passenger as the application does not have a central database for information to be stored. Customers control their own data to avoid breaches.

Suzanna Chiu, head of Amadeus Ventures at Amadeus, said: “This marks the first investment made by Amadeus Ventures this year. As with all our investments, it is centered around solutions that improve the passenger experience.”

“Biometrics is a key trend for the industry, and one we feel has the potential to reshape air travel as we know it today.”

“Airside has developed an innovative identity management solution that presents many opportunities to improve the passenger journey.”

Airside says it has previously received investment from backers including Bain Capital, Blazar Ventures, GroTech Ventures and several other leading VC firms.

Hans Miller, chief executive at Airside, said: “Airside applications include privacy by design, and we keep security at the heart of everything we do. We feel this investment from Amadeus is testament to the potential of our solutions to help improve the experience for passengers worldwide.”