Your face may become your boarding pass at Vizag airport

Paperless Travel

• Digi Yatra app simplifies air travel by linking boarding pass to Aadhaar and facial data
• No need for physical documents or security checks with this contactless system
• Digi Yatra is currently available at 13 airports
• Minister Scindia plans to expand Digi Yatra to 25 more airports in 2024
• Initial rollout at 14 airports, followed by 11 more, will cover 95% of domestic air travel

Visakhapatnam: Your face may become your boarding pass soon at Visakhapatnam International Airport with the proposal under consideration to introduce Digi Yatra, a biometric boarding system by installing a Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) - a contactless processing using facial features to establish one's identity linking it to the boarding pass.

One has to follow simple steps to avail of the new-age service. At Departure one has to scan the boarding pass on DigiYatra E-Gate by looking at the camera and getting the face scanned. At pre-security Digi Yatra E-Gate, a passenger has to walk up to the Digi Yatra E-Gate at the security check and at the boarding gate, one will be allowed to pass through to occupy a seat once boarding gates are opened.

Digi Yatra Foundation is implementing the Digi Yatra Central Ecosystem (DYCE)-an ecosystem which streamlines air travel pursuant to the Digi Yatra Policy formulated by the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The aim of the app is to make check-in process paperless. The app makes the passenger travel simpler and hassle free. To be precise, facial recognition technology makes the check-in process very easy.

To avail the facility, the flyers have to download the Digi Yatra app and upload their Aadhar card details along with other credentials. Once done, there is no need for security checks and production of I-cards. The data provided by the passenger is stored in encrypted form and the app allows Aadhar based validation and a self-image capture. Once the boarding pass is scanned, the credentials get checked automatically by the security systems.

Digi Yatra facility is available at 13 airports including Shamshabad Airport in Hyderabad and Gannavaram Airport at Vijayawada.

Visakhapatnam Airport Advisory Committee Chairman and YSRCP MP MVV Satyanarayana earlier wrote a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Jyotirditya Scindia to introduce Digi Yatra facility at Visakhapatnam International Airport - the largest airport in Andhra Pradesh and second largest after Hyderabad in the two Telugu-speaking States. He pointed out that the airport is fully geared up to handle 3.5 million passengers per annum though it is handling only 2.8 million passengers per annum. He said less traffic is not because of less number of passengers but for want of required number of flights and availability of adequate amenities.

The hopes of inclusion of Visakhapatnam Airport with FRT brightened with Scindia recently announcing that Digi Yatra will be extended to 25 more airports in 2024. Visakhapatnam Air Travellers' Association (VATA) vice-president O Naresh Kumar told Bizz Buzz that in view of the importance of Visakhapatnam, which has emerged as the ninth richest country in India, the Digi Yatra facility should be introduced here soon.

Scindia recently said in the first phase, they will introduce the facility at 14 airports and another 11 airports in the next phase next year to take the total number with FRT to 38. Thirteen airports, which have the facility as of today handle 85 per cent of India's domestic traffic. Once it is extended to 38 airports as per a proposal made by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, it will increase it to 95 per cent of total passengers.