Italy's privacy watchdog fines Emirates over handling of passenger health data
Italy's privacy watchdog fines Emirates over handling of passenger health data
ReutersWed, June 17, 2026 at 9:50 AM UTC
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An Emirates aircraft is seen through the window of a Middle East Airlines airplane at Cairo International Airport, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Cairo, Egypt, March 31, 2026. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Emirates was not immediately available for comment.
($1 = 0.8617 euros)
(Reporting by Giulia Segreti, editing by Alvise Armellini)
Source: “AOL Money”
