Digi Yatra: Face recognition system launched at 3 airports; data stored in 'encrypted format'

New Delhi, December 1: For a seamless and hassle-free air travel experience, India on Thursday launched a mechanism called Digi Yatra at Delhi, Bangalore and Varanasi airports in the first phase. Digi Yatra is conceived to achieve contactless, seamless processing of passengers at airports based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT).

After launching Digi Yatra, based on facial recognition technology, at the airport in Delhi, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said data shared by the passengers would be stored in an encrypted format and in a decentralised manner.

The project basically envisages that travellers may pass through various checkpoints at the airports through paperless and contactless processing using facial features to establish their identity which could be linked to the boarding pass.

In the first phase, it will be launched at seven airports. From December 1, the facility was rolled out at Delhi, Bengaluru, and Varanasi airports, followed by four airports — Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, and Vijayawada by March 2023. Subsequently, the technology would be implemented across the country.

Notably, it is currently being launched for domestic flight passengers. To use this facility, a one-time registration on the Digi Yatra app is required using Aadhar-based validation and a self-image capture.

There is no central storage of Personally Identifiable Information (PII). The passenger's ID and travel credentials are stored in a secure wallet on the passenger's smartphone itself. 

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How to register on Digi Yatra platform?

Digi Yatra would connect the journey of air travellers with a fully digital interface, according to the official website India.gov.in. Passengers will need to register for this on the Digi Yatra Platform. After that, they will have facial recognition technology for digital access at all airport checkpoints, including the entry point check, security check entry, and aeroplane boarding.

Along with this, self-bag drop and check-in will also be done via this method. The entire trip will be paperless as a result, and passengers won't need to repeatedly provide their identification credentials.

DigiYatra app is available on Android and ioS platforms. Currently at the Delhi airport, DigiYatra will be available for passengers taking domestic flights from Terminal 3 (T3).

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