BY DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORTY
KOLKATA, 19 AUGUST 2022
Delhi International Airport and KempeGowda International Airport in Bengaluru and GMR Hyderabad International Airport have launched facial recognition systems through beta version of Digi Yatra App for domestic passengers thus ushering a new era in India’s aviation sector.
While in the Delhi International Airport , the biometric facial recognition technology was rolled out for domestic air passengers at Delhi airport’s T3 terminal , where AirAsia India, Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Vistara’s passenger flights operate.
On the other hand, In KempeGowda International Airport in Bengaluru , the beta version of Digi Yatra biometric boarding system was tested on passengers travelling in the domestic sector on Vistara and AirAsia flights already.
Talking to The Travel and Tourism Times, Anil Punjabi, Chairman ( Eastern region) of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) said that the technology is at its peak, it is time saving, seamless check ins and will be a great help to the passengers who can’t use the smart phones on their own.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation ( MoCA) the passenger check-in time at the airports will be significantly reduced to just about three seconds per passenger.
Not only the time will be drastically reduced, but also the usage of the app will enhance airport security as the data of all passengers will be authenticated by the Airlines Departure Control System, which restricts access to the departure terminal to designated passengers, officials added.
At present the pilot projects have started in Delhi and Bengaluru airports but in the coming days it will be launched in all the airports in the country.
“Digi Yatra App is a unique initiative of the Government of India, coordinated by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. It is in line with the Prime Minister’s vision and mission of Digital India . Delhi Airport is among the first few airports of the country which have launched the facial recognition system. The system is going to give a seamless experience to passengers. The facial recognition system will save passengers from the process of identity checks at multiple points and encourage them to travel paperless and also enhance safety at the airport,” claims Delhi Airport CEO, Videh Kumar Jaipuria.
“We are proud to be chosen as one of the airports for a proof of concept for Digi Yatra by the Government. GHIAL had earlier initiated face recognition trials successfully,” said Pradeep Panicker, President and CEO of Hyderabad Airport.
At present the Digi Yatra scheme is voluntary for passengers and those opting for it will have to download the app and register themselves. For registration, the passenger will have to link Aadhar details, take a selfie and add COVID-19 vaccination information and guidelines.
Non biometric process for verification is also available currently in Delhi , Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports.
The Digi Yatra app is currently available for android users in Google Play Store only and will be available in iphones soon.
According to the MoCA sources the Digi Yatra App will also be launched in Pune, Vijayawada and Kolkata airports by March 2023.
The MoCA has suggested to the travel agents and passengers to inform them that if they are travelling through these three airports it will be better for them to register with the Digi Yatra App and avail the benefits like no additional documents verification, no physical contact etc.
The DigiYatra App will also enable the passengers to receive relevant information about various facilities including protocols, airline timings, and queue waiting times at the airport. In-flight services and destination-based offerings can also be booked digitally, sources said.
At #BLRAirport the beta version of Digi Yatra biometric boarding system was tested on passengers travelling domestic sector on Vistara & Air Asia flights. The Digi Yatra project is led by the Ministry of Civil Aviation @MoCA_GoI & the Government of India.#digiyatra #digiyatraapp pic.twitter.com/5ydvctsSyB
— BLR Airport (@BLRAirport) August 15, 2022
DIGI YATRA!
An initiative designed to ensure contactless, seamless processing of passengers at airport checkpoints. The idea envisions any traveller being able to pass through numerous checkpoints at the airport utilising a paperless and contactless procedure.#DigitalIndia pic.twitter.com/HX8dAoT8tX
— MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) August 7, 2022
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