4-Apr-2022: Facial Recognition System(FRS) is to be implemented in phased manner

Facial recognition System is part of the Digi Yatra initiative of the government for providing passengers seamless and hassle-free experience at airports. It is to be implemented in a phased manner. The first phase is planned at Kolkata, Varanasi, Pune, Vijayawada, Bangalore, Delhi and Hyderabad Airports by March 2023. Preliminary testing of the Digi Yatra Biometric boarding system with registration for the 'Day of Travel' at these airports has been completed.

The requirement of security is dynamic in nature. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the regulatory authority for civil aviation security in the country, in consultation with other concerned agencies and stakeholders, reviews the security arrangements at airports from time to time and upgrade the same as per requirement.

4-Oct-2018: Civil aviation Ministry  Releases the policy on Biometric based Digital processing of passengers at airports called “Digi Yatra”

The Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation released the policy on biometric based digital processing of passengers at airports called “Digi Yatra”. The Ministry has taken the initiative to develop standards for digital processing of passengers at airport to ensure uniform implementation and passenger experience across Indian airports through a connected ecosystem. A technical working committee having members from airport operators, airlines and industry has been formed for development of standards.

The DigiYatra Central Platform will be operational by end of February, 2019. Bangalore & Hyderabad International Airports will be ready with pilot implementation by end of February, 2019. Airport Authority of India (AAI) intends to roll out the programme initially at Kolkata, Varanasi, Pune & Vijayawada by April, 2019.

DigiYatra will provide a pan-India powerful platform for future, adding that Airports will have the possibility of providing innovative services and consent based  targeted services in future. “Any service provider involved in facilitating travel of passenger from door to door will be able to use this platform in future through innovative solutions” he said. The Minister asserted that the ultimate beneficiary will be the passengers, who will have all the travel related options available to them.

Elaborating on the contours of Digi Yatra, Minister of State of Civil Aviation, Shri Jayant Sinha said, it is a Facial Recognition based passenger processing which  is a common standard being adopted the world over. To provide a seamless experience right from the entry to the airport upto boarding the aircraft, Shri Sinha said, DigiYatra will have a centralised registration system for passengers. “Under the Digi Yatra, passenger can get a Digi Yatra ID by sharing minimum details like Name, e-mail ID, Mobile number and details of one approved Identity proof where Aadhar ID is not mandatory. This DigiYatra ID will be shared by passengers while Booking ticket. Airlines will share the passenger data and DigiYatraID with the departure airport”, he said.  Shri Sinha pointed out that a passenger who has created the Digi Yatra ID has to undergo a onetime verification at the departure airport during his/her first travel. “In case a passenger opted for Aadhar based verification, the identity will be verified online. On successful verification, facial biometric will be captured and stored in the Digi Yatra ID profile of the passenger. In case the passenger has chosen any other identity for creating Digi Yatra ID, verification will be done manually by Security personal and facial biometric will be captured and stored in the Digi Yatra ID profile. By this process the registration is complete”.

Digi Yatra will bring benefits to passengers and all stakeholders involved in the process, as Airport operator will have travel information in advance for better resource planning and the real-time data of passengers within the terminal will enable the operator to take proactive action to avoid congestion.

A successfully registered passenger can go directly to the entry point  E-Gate of the airport and scan the barcode/ QR code of the ticket/ Boarding pass. “A camera will capture the face for comparing with DigiYatraID Photo. On successful verification of the  travel details and facial matching, the E-Gate  will open. The system will also generate a token in the system combining the face of passenger with PNR of the ticket, so that at subsequent check points the ticket details will be available on face recognition.”

“At check-in counter or at the Self Bag Drop counter, the passenger will be identified by face and there is no need to show any document or ID for this purpose. The passenger will gain entry to the security check area through an E-Gate by facial recognition. Similarly at the boarding gate also the passenger will be identified by face for entering  through an E-Gate for boarding the aircraft.”

“Airlines will have the information of its passenger and their status within the terminal. No more missing passenger causing departure delays. Security will benefit from the ability of the technology to verify the passenger at every checkpoint in a non-intrusive way except that physical frisking of the passenger as per security procedures will continue. Intentional Boarding pass exchange by passenger or wrong boarding by mistake will not happen.”

 As Indian Aviation is witnessing an unprecedented passenger growth for the past 50 months and it is likely to continue, this would mean the existing airports have to handle more passengers for considerable time before additional infrastructure is created. “The passengers are expecting better facilitation at the airport and Security remains a key concern in air travel. Leveraging technology is the only solution to meet such challenging requirements”, Shri Choubey said.  Pointing out that multiple stakeholders are involved in a seamless travel process for a passenger, he emphasised that it was important that the stakeholders work in a connected environment for reaping the benefits of technology. He said, in order to achieve this objective, the Ministry of Civil Aviation evolved the concept of “DigiYatra” which  envisages a connected ecosystem enhancing the seamless travel experience for the passengers and simultaneously improving the security.

8-Jun-2017: ‘DigiYatra’- A New Digital Experience for Air Travellers

The Ministry of Civil Aviation is adding a Digital experience for Air Travellers through DigiYatra Platform. The ‘DigiYatra’ is an industry-led initiative coordinated by the Ministry in line with the Digital India’s vision to transform the nation into a digitally empowered society. This follows Air Sewa which brings together all the stakeholders on a common platform for handling customer grievances and disseminating real-time data.

‘DigiYatra’ initiative will transform the flying experience for passengers and position Indian Aviation amongst the most innovative air networks in the world. ‘DigiYatra’ initiative aims to bring together entire industry to develop a digital ecosystem that will deliver Indian customers a seamless, consistent and paperless service experience at every touch point of their journey.

A Technical Committee comprising industry stakeholders will submit its recommendations in 30 days. These propositions would be open for public comments and discussions for another 30 days. These would then be translated into a time-bound action plan.

DigiYatra initiative envisages providing airline travellers in India, a pioneering ‘digitally unified flying experience’ across all stages of their journey. All aviation stakeholders – airlines, airport operators, security and immigration agencies, cab operators, retail establishment and others are working to devise digital standards which can enable seamless exchange of data and information. He said that these standards can power unique applications which can deliver a delightful experience for air travellers.

The platform will be built on 4 key pillars, like Connected Passengers, Connected Airports, Connected Flying and Connected Systems which can make it possible over a period of time for passengers to:

1. Plan their trips efficiently by identifying price trends and estimate future airfares at the time of ticket booking,
2. Optionally link their Aadhaar to airlines and other ecosystem players at the time of booking for faster airport entry and automated check-ins without requiring any paper-based interventions,
3. Walk-through security scanners swiftly owing to advanced biometric security solutions,
4. Receive relevant information pertaining to various facilities, protocols, airline timings, queue lengths at airports etc.,
5. Engage in customized digital offerings at experience zones,
6. Get real time notifications about congestion and delays to have greater visibility on the next step of journey,
7. Conveniently navigate through the airport using digital guidance systems, interactive kiosks and augmented reality apps,
8. Stay connected during flights and indulge in immersive experiences. Also book in-flight services and destination based offerings digitally,
9. Get a prompt when their luggage reaches the baggage claim belt , and
10. Submit grievances, share experiences and provide feedback.

The Digitising data would help the aviation industry gather meaningful insights for continuous improvement and innovation. This initiative has emerged after six months of comprehensive discourse with various ecosystem players.