To simplify air travel, the government has implemented paperless entry at a few airports. As part of this programme, facial recognition software dubbed “DigiYatra” will be used at airports to verify identity. Customers won’t need to carry both their ID card and boarding permit, as a result.
The programme will be introduced at seven airports in its initial phase, starting with three — Delhi, Bengaluru, and Varanasi — and moving on to four — Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, and Vijayawada — by March 2023. The technology will then be used all around the nation.
In August, the GMR-owned Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) announced the soft launch of the Centre’s DigiYatra programme, releasing the app’s beta version for Android platforms. The necessary infrastructure is already in place at Terminal 3 of the Delhi Airport, and other airports are also putting it in place.
According to DigiYatra, passengers would go through multiple checkpoints at the airport utilising paperless and contactless processing. Their identity would be verified using facial features and connected to their boarding card. With this technology, all checkpoints, such as airport entry, security checkpoints, aeroplane boarding, etc., will automatically process passenger entries based on facial recognition technology.
Passengers flying domestically from the airports of Bengaluru, Varanasi, and Delhi’s Terminal 3 will have access to this amenity. By March of next year, DigiYatra will be made available at four additional airports: Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, and Vijaywada. DigiYatra will then be swiftly implemented in all other airports.
Air India, Vistara, and IndiGo travellers who are travelling on their domestic networks can take advantage of this service at the three airports. The DigiYatra capability is not yet available on SpiceJet, GoFirst, or Akasa Air.
A traveller must register their information on the DigiYatra app utilising Aadhaar-based validation and a self picture capture in order to use the service. The boarding pass must be scanned in the following step, and the credentials must be given to airport officials.
The traveller must first scan their bar-coded boarding pass at the airport e-gate before the facial recognition system located at the e-gate verifies their identification and travel documentation. The passenger can use the e-gate to enter the airport once this process is complete.
The standard process for passing through security and boarding the aeroplane will need to be followed by the traveller.
It is advantageous to use facial recognition technology since it makes travelling more convenient and eases traffic in airports. Face recognition technology has improved productivity at airports around the world, including Dubai, Singapore, Atlanta, and Narita (Japan).
The project is being carried out by the DigiYatra Foundation, a joint venture whose shareholders include Bengaluru Airport, Delhi Airport, Hyderabad Airport, Mumbai Airport, and Cochin International Airport. The Airports Authority of India owns a 26% stake in the company. The remaining 74% of the shares are held equally by these five shareholders.
