SITA CONTINUED TO ENABLE THE AUTOMATED, CONTACTLESS, SAFE JOURNEY AT THE BORDER AS THE PANDEMIC PERSISTED IN 2021 AND INTO 2022. DIGITAL BORDERS MAKE OPERATIONS LESS COSTLY FOR AIRLINES, AND SIMPLER, MORE SECURE, AND RESPONSIVE FOR GOVERNMENTS.
As the leading border management provider to the world, SITA enables state-of-the-art border security for air and intermodal travel. From travel authorization, intelligence and targeting, to Advance Passenger Processing (APP), border controls and more, SITA continued to help the travel industry to be agile at the border, to rise to the challenges of the pandemic.
In 2021, SITA celebrated 25 years as the world’s leader in border management. SITA is helping countries to keep borders open, mitigate health risks, and restore trust in travel.
SITA’s border solutions, used by 70+ countries by the end of 2021, lead the world. They enable efficient operations, focusing on security, safety, and health, helping national prosperity by keeping borders open.
SITA’s border management portfolio includes travel authorization, advance passenger information, passenger intelligence and risk assessment, border control and more, across several modes of travel.
Digital transformation of borders around the world is gathering pace fast, making use of biometrics and digital identities, with advanced business intelligence and AI. SITA is paving the way.
In 2021, the need to facilitate safe global travel, through responsive and agile borders, was never greater. SITA was quick to highlight the issues and ways forward for the industry in its papers on ‘Powering economic recovery; restarting travel and tourism’ and ‘The rise and role of digital travel’.
The papers are just one example of SITA’s technology and thought leadership role in the travel industry. That role includes supporting new industry standards, like ICAO’s Digital Travel Credentials (DTC), as well as introducing new technologies and approaches, such as biometrics for border processing and creating frictionless digital travel, in line with data privacy guidelines in SITA’s Ethics Charter.
SITA’s unique ability to provide end-to-end integrated border management solutions places the company in a strong position to aid industry recovery, offering solutions for traveler data and risk assessment that can incorporate the urgent industry requirement for health certification.
Introduced in 2021, SITA Health Protect helps to address this concern, as a combination of SITA’s Digital Travel Declaration (DTD), and APP solutions. DTD, offered free to governments in the year, uses secure biometric and mobile technology to check digital passenger health declarations before trips, and includes automatically and manually verifiable travel authorization on travelers’ mobile devices.
Through the initiative, SITA is at the forefront of addressing the global challenge of submitting and verifying health documentation, a major impediment to the recovery of global travel. As the leading global provider of APP, SITA also helped with the implementation of ‘travel corridors’, enabling governments to approve boarding in real-time based on government-assigned risk of specific routes and passenger health status, to limit the spread of the virus.
A YEAR AT-A-GLANCE:
WORLD-LEADING BORDER SOLUTIONS, EVERYWHERE
airlines in 2021 connected to governments through SITA’s Advance Passenger Information (API), traveler data (Passenger Name Record – PNR), and Advance Passenger Processing (APP) border solutions.
governments and all G20 nations use SITA’s border solutions – representing 85% of all international air passengers and accounting for the processing of around 2 billion travelers annually.
since SITA began providing border solutions to the world’s governments. Starting with electronic travel authorization in 1996 for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, easing passenger flow with the huge influx of competitors and spectators.
of the world’s 21 implementations of interactive pre-clearance solutions (iAPI / APP) are SITA’s. This is a key capability for the industry trend towards pre-authorization of travelers.
A YEAR AT-A-GLANCE:
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE YEAR
major contracts signed with SITA by governments and airlines through the year, covering multiple border management solutions, such as state-of-the-art intelligence and targeting in the Middle East, API Passenger Name Record (PNR) Gateway projects across the Middle East and Europe, mobile border management in Asia Pacific, and more.
major SITA borders projects went live across the world in 2021, including 2 in the Middle East and Africa, 7 in Asia Pacific, and 3 in Europe – in addition to multiple change requests and smaller projects for airlines. Many more in progress for 2022+.
and zones became extremely important in the year, allowing safe, controlled, and limited travel between countries and regions. SITA worked with the Australian Government, airlines, airports and many others to help, with real-time data solutions for agile responses to rapidly changing situations.
new border controls scheduled for 2022. SITA’s border solutions positioned strongly to facilitate implementation of the new European Union border controls (EU Entry-Exit System – EES).
for SITA’s Mobile Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) enabling fast and easy completion by travelers on their mobiles prior to travel.
Borders User Forum held to bring together the senior national decision makers of SITA’s government customers from across the world. SITA will run regular forums to ensure deep understanding of government challenges and to provide the required support.
A YEAR AT-A-GLANCE:
PORTFOLIO MILESTONES IN THE YEAR
saw SITA Health Protect introduced, as a set of solutions aimed at getting the recovery underway through easy, safe, and healthy travel. Health Protect bridges the gaps between governments, airlines and airports, so they can digitally and securely verify and validate traveler health information.
(DTD) launched during 2021 and offered free for 12 months to governments to help kick-start the global travel recovery by integrating health checks for airlines and governments.
goal, as one of a number of countries to embrace SITA’s Digital Travel Declaration in 2021, is to allow travelers to submit all health, immigration, and customs documentation for entry into the country through one easy, efficient, and secure platform.
Breakthrough trial conducted at Dallas Fort Worth Airport in the US, with a Proof-of-Concept allowing biometric airside access for staff and associated airport and TSA checks, integrating Third Party Digital Identity from Mastercard with SITA airport products.
position achieved by SITA’s DTD in the annual SITA Council Awards, which recognize leading industry developments and innovations.
