Auckland-based authentication orchestration company Authsignal has joined the International Air Transport Association’s Strategic Partnership Program, positioning itself to contribute to IATA’s digital identity efforts in global aviation. The membership falls under the Data and Technology Proof of Concept area, which requires non-airline technology vendors to hold SPP membership before participating in IATA’s innovation cycles.
The move comes just days after IATA’s proof-of-concept results for contactless travel were published at the association’s World Data Symposium in Singapore, demonstrating that biometric digital identity is interoperable at scale across international carriers. Authsignal was not among the technology partners named in that April 8 release, which cited Amadeus, NEC, SITA, SICPA, Branchspace, and Hopae. The company’s SPP entry appears oriented toward future cycle participation, with Cycle 3 themes expected in June 2026 and results at the IATA World Data Symposium 2027.
Authsignal’s platform functions as an orchestration layer above existing customer identity infrastructure, enabling enterprises to deploy passkeys, adaptive multi-factor authentication, biometric step-up verification, and risk-based authentication without replacing core systems. The company’s Digital Credential Verification API supports Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, and government-issued wallets, and performs live face-match biometric binding with selective disclosure of credential fields. Those capabilities align with the technical standards underpinning IATA’s One ID initiative, including W3C Verifiable Credentials, Decentralized Identifiers, and OpenID for Verifiable Credentials.
Authsignal’s aviation track record includes the first passkey deployment by an airline globally, carried out with Air New Zealand. That rollout achieved a customer opt-in rate above 30 percent within four months and produced a 5 to 10 percent reduction in customer service center call volume. The company was founded in 2021 by Justin Soong and Chris Fisher.
“Travel and aviation are full of solutions looking for problems to solve, but digital identity is fundamental to a myriad of real use cases across the industry, from booking to boarding to immigration,” said Justin Soong, Founder and Director of Product at Authsignal. “Joining the IATA Strategic Partnership Program is a natural step for Authsignal as we focus on how open standards can create seamless, secure experiences for travelers worldwide.”
Kim Macaulay, IATA’s Chief Information and Data Officer, said the addition confirms the program’s value to the industry. Authsignal’s entry aligns with IATA’s push to fast-track digital ID standards, which has called on technology vendors to accelerate integration of verifiable credentials and biometric recognition. IATA has advanced its One ID vision through successive trials, including a Hong Kong-Tokyo digital travel pilot in late 2024 that demonstrated paperless cross-border travel using biometric wallets.
Sources: Authsignal, IATA, IATA One ID Program
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By Ali Nassar-Smith
