Amadeus Buys Idemia Border-Control Arm to Expand in Airports (1)

Amadeus IT SA agreed to buy the public security arm of biometrics firm Idemia for €1.2 billion ($1.4 billion), adding border control to the Spanish travel software company’s airport services.

The agreement includes a potential earn-out of up to €150 million to Advent-backed Idemia, Amadeus said Wednesday in a statement. The public security business develops fingerprint, iris and facial-recognition systems, mainly for governments and law enforcement.

The acquisition furthers a build-out of Amadeus’s core ticketing and reservation functions focused on airlines, airports and hotels. Adding border control gives it deeper penetration in airports, as technology evolves to allow passengers ...