Italy’s privacy watchdog fines Emirates over handling of passenger health data
Italy’s privacy watchdog fines Emirates over handling of passenger health data
Publish Date: 2026-06-17 14:02:00
Source Domain: www.reuters.com
ROME, June 17 (Reuters) – Italy’s data protection authority said on Wednesday it had fined the Emirates airline €180,000 ($208,890) for the allegedly unfair handling of health data of passengers with reduced mobility.
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The case stemmed from a complaint by a passenger who said Emirates had made her fill in a medical form even though she was not among the categories required to submit such documentation.
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The Italian regulator found that the processing of health data itself was lawful as necessary to guarantee safe transport and assistance, but identified breaches on transparency and data storage limits.
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The authority said Emirates failed to provide sufficiently clear and complete privacy information, either on its website or through staff assisting passengers.
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It also found that the airline retained health data collected via medical forms for seven years, which it considered excessive and disproportionate.
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Emirates was not immediately available for comment.
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Reporting by Giulia Segreti, editing by Alvise Armellini
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
