As airports look to streamline processes and reduce bottlenecks, biometrics is becoming a central part of discussion. One country making rapid progress in this space is India. The government-led biometrics initiative, Digi Yatra, plans to cater to 90 per cent of India’s domestic flying population.

Biometric technology is already creating a more seamless experience for passengers, eliminating the need to show physical identification and documents. Allowing for faster movement through the airport, enhanced security, and hassle-free, contactless travel, the tech is speeding up airport processes and streamlining the experience for passengers and staff alike.

Digi Yatra’s Biometric Boarding System (BBS) was successfully launched at Varanasi Airport in December 2022 along with Delhi and Bengaluru. It was later implemented at airports across the country including Kolkata, Pune and Vijayawada Airports in March 2023. Appetite for the technology was high, with the initiative gathering 1.74 million users within six months of launching.

Digi Yatra is a decentralised mobile-based ID storage platform that leverages facial recognition technology for a seamless passenger journey. It was introduced by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) and Digi Yatra Foundation, streamlining the airport experience for passengers with contactless travel. India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation Setting out the objectives of this initiative back in 2021 hoping to:

  • Enhance passenger experience and provide a simple and easy experience to all air travellers.
  • Achieve better throughput through existing infrastructure using “Digital Framework.”
  • Result in lower cost operations.
  • Digitise current manual processes and to bring better efficiencies
  • Enhance security standards and improve current system performance

Recently, a collaborative project between SITA and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) announced the programme will implemented across a further nine airports including Visakhapatnam, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Indore, Raipur, Bagdogra, Patna, Goa, and Coimbatore, as part of the wider Digi Yatra initiative.

Now, the initiative is looking to expand further with a potential international pilot study. Speaking at the CAPA Digital Aviation Summit, the CEO of Digi Yatra Foundation Suresh Khadakbhavi said:

“We are planning an international pilot project in June 2025 between two countries. We don’t want to overcommit. However, we are working in this direction […] We will also work with the Bureau of Immigration and visa-issuing agencies to enable this service for international visitors flying in and out of India.”

 

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