Amadeus to buy French biometrics firm Idemia for 1.2 billion euros
The all-cash deal would expand Amadeus’s biometric border-control and law-enforcement capabilities and add 3,300 employees worldwide, the company said.
- On Wednesday, April 29, 2026, Spanish travel technology firm Amadeus announced a plan to acquire Idemia Public Security from Advent International for 1.2 billion euros in an all-cash deal.
- Amadeus, which controls more than 40% of the global distribution system market, has been expanding beyond ticketing into airport operations technology, following its 2024 acquisition of Portuguese company Vision-Box for 320 million.
- IPS maintains biometric deployments across 250 airports and serves more than 600 government agencies; the unit employs approximately 3,800 people and operates fingerprint and criminal record processing infrastructure in partnership with the FBI.
- The transaction should increase the total addressable market to 50 billion euros from 41 billion, providing annual cost synergies of 50 million euros, while Bernstein analysts called the acquisition "potentially a good deal, and a fit with Amadeus' portfolio."
- Expected to close in mid-2027, the deal will likely face scrutiny from competition authorities and national security reviewers, as IPS capabilities touch critical infrastructure including biometric surveillance and national identity document issuance across multiple jurisdictions.
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Amadeus Outlines Intention to Acquire Idemia Public Security (IPS) for EUR1.2 Billion, to Create Seamless End-to-end Travel Journeys of the Future
Get latest articles and stories on Business at LatestLY. Madrid [Spain], April 29: Following a competitive bid process, Amadeus today announces its intention to acquire Idemia Public Security (IPS), a leading biometrics and identity services provider headquartered in France. Business News | Amadeus Outlines Intention to Acquire Idemia Public Security (IPS) for EUR1.2 Billion, to Create Seamless End-to-end Travel Journeys of the Future.
Amadeus plans €1.2bn acquisition of Idemia Public Security
Amadeus has announced its intention to acquire Idemia Public Security (IPS) for €1.2bn (US$1.3bn), in a move aimed at expanding its biometric and identity capabilities across the travel sector. The proposed acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approvals and expected to close in mid-2027, follows Amadeus’s 2024 purchase of Vision-Box and is intended to strengthen its position in airport and border technology. IPS, headquartered in France, …
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