DigiYatra makes paperless entry possible at 3 airports

DigiYatra is a facial recognition app designed to make checking in for flights easier for travellers. Passengers must first install the DigiYatra app which can be downloaded on the smartphones.

To simplyfy air travel, the government has implemented paperless entry at a few airports beginning this Thursday. Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday launched Digi Yatra from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, for three airports in the country.

As a part of this programme, facial recognition software dubbed "DigiYatra" will be used at airports to verify identity. As a result, customers would not need to carry both their ID and boarding permit.

The programme will be introduced at seven airports in its initial phase, beginning with three, Delhi, Bengaluru and Varanasi and then moving moving on to the remaining four, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune and Vijaywada by March 2023. The technology will then be introduced all around the nation.

In August, GMR group-owned Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a joint venture, formed as a conglomerate between GMR Group (54%), Airports Authority of India (26%), and Fraport AG & Eraman Malaysia (10% each) announced the launch of the centre's DigiYatra programme, by releasing the application's beta version for Android platforms. The necessary infrastructure is already in place at Terminal 3 of the Delhi Airport, whereas other airports are also putting it in place.

How does DigiYatra operate and what is it?

DigiYatra is a facial recognition app designed to make checking in for flights easier for travellers. Passengers must first install the DigiYatra app which can be downloaded on the smartphones. It is available for both iOS and Android smartphones. Passengers can check in using this app without needing a boarding pass in paper form. The travellers would also be able to drop off their checked bags in addition to checking in. As stated, the purpose of DigiYatra is to make passengers' experience of flying rapid and flawless.

Currently this service is only available to passengers of Air India, IndiGo, and Vistara. Spicejet is expected to support the project soon. All travelers taking domestic flights on the aforementioned airlines at the airports of Delhi, Bengaluru, and Varanasi can now check in easily using DigiYatra.

How can users access the DigiYatra service?

A traveller must register their information on the DigiYatra App utilising AAdhaar-based validation and a self picture capture in order to use this service. The following step requires you to scan the boarding pass, and the credentials must be provided to airport officials.