Italy's privacy watchdog fines Emirates over handling of passenger health data

June 17, 2026 5:47 AM EDT

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.

• 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)



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