Advance Passenger Information: deal on new rules to improve border controls and identify security risks

A deal was today reached between the European Parliament and the Council on the two legislative proposals on the collection and transfer of advance passenger information (API) to increase security at the EU’s external borders and level up the fight against crime.

With these new rules, all air carriers will be required to collect and transmit API - which are the details of travellers’ information gathered by air carriers at check-in - in a harmonised and systematic matter to competent authorities, improving border controls and making it easier to identify persons posing security risks. While doing so, the Renew Europe group is pleased to have managed to minimise the impact on the travel experience by keeping the procedure smooth for passengers.

Jan-Christoph Oetjen (FDP, Germany), the European Parliament’s rapporteur for the Regulation on the Collection and Transfer of API for Enhancing and Facilitating External border controls, said:

“The Advanced Passenger Information regulation marks a pivotal moment in harmonising and standardising the digital usage of passenger information. A significant success lies in empowering passengers to still conveniently check in online and submit their required passenger data from the comfort of their homes. The risk of having to check each passenger's documents individually for every flight within the EU has thus been eliminated.”

The deal includes a new single central router that will automatically transmit the data to authorities, replacing the previous patchwork of multiple connections between air carriers and national authorities.

In addition, the Renew Europe group advocated for restricting the gathering and use of personal data to what is absolutely necessary and proportionate. That included, amongst other things, excluding biometric data from the scope of API data collection and prohibiting profiling based on the data, to avoid discrimination based on categories such as ethnic origin, religion and gender.

Further, data storage is limited to 48 hours, with an additional 48 hours for special cases. The Commission will assess the impact on passenger travel and the aviation industry every four years, starting four years after the law's entry into force.