Canada and the Netherlands test transatlantic flights without a passport

Canada and the Netherlands launched on Wednesday a pilot project to fly between the two countries without presenting a passport, thanks to an application focusing on the phone of travelers all of their personal data.

Named KTDI (Known Traveler Digital Identity, or French digital identity known traveler), this initiative is led by the World Economic Forum (GEF) which wishes to prepare the explosion of air traffic in the coming years.

"By 2030, some 1.8 billion people will be flying overseas, up 50 percent from 2016. Current systems do not allow airports to take care of so many people. This project offers a solution, "Christoph Wolf, Director of Mobility at GEF, said in a statement.

Specifically, people flying between Montreal or Toronto and Amsterdam can store on their phones all the personal information on their passport, thanks to an application encrypted by blockchain technology.

Their identity will be confirmed by facial recognition upon their arrival at each airport, which will exempt them from the traditional passage at the gatehouse of the border police.

This pilot project "will enhance the traveler experience while ensuring that border security is maintained," said Canada's Transport Minister Marc Garneau.

Popularized by its use by cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, the "blockchain" (or chain of blocks) is a decentralized, public and tamper-proof registry, which guarantees the reliability of information without calling on a trusted third party.