DIGIYATRA

1. Context

• The government has introduced paperless entry at select airports to make air travel hassle-free.
• Under this initiative, airports will use facial recognition software called ‘DigiYatra’ for entry.
• Passengers won’t need to carry their ID card and boarding pass.

2. About Digiyatra

• DigiYatra envisages that travellers pass through various checkpoints at the airport through paperless and contactless processing, using facial features to establish their identity, which would be linked to the boarding pass.
• With this technology, the entry of passengers would be automatically processed based on the facial recognition system at all checkpoints including entry into the airport, security check areas, aircraft boarding, etc.

3. Airports Having Digiyatra Facility

• In the first phase, the initiative will be launched at seven airports, starting with three in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Varanasi followed by four airports namely Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, and Vijayawada by March 2023.
• Subsequently, the technology will be implemented across the country.

4. Airports Having Facial Recognition Technology

• The facility will be available for passengers taking domestic flights at Delhi's Terminal 3, Bengaluru and Varanasi airports.
• DigiYatra will be launched at four more airports, Hyderabad, Pune, Vijaywada, and Kolkata, by next March. Later, DigiYatra will be rapidly rolled out across all other airports.

5. Airlines Having Facial Recognition Technology

• Among airlines, passengers travelling Air India, Vistara, and IndiGo on their domestic network can avail of this facility at the three airports.
• SpiceJet, GoFirst, and Akasa Air are yet to offer the DigiYatra facility.

6. Process of Digiyatra Facility

• For availing of the service, a passenger has to register their details on the DigiYatra app using Aadhaar-based validation and a self-image capture.
• In the next step, the boarding pass has to be scanned, and the credentials are shared with airport authorities.
• At the airport e-gate, the passenger has to first scan the bar-coded boarding pass and the facial recognition system installed at the e-gate will validate the passenger's identity and travel document.
• Once this process is done, the passenger can enter the airport through the e-gate.
• The passenger will have to follow the normal procedure to clear security and board the aircraft.

7. Advantage of Digiyatra

• Facial recognition technology is beneficial as it makes flying more convenient and reduces congestion at airports.
• The facial recognition system at various airports across the globe, including Dubai, Singapore, Atlanta, and Narita (Japan), has helped bring efficiency.

8. Implementation of Digiyatra

• The project is being implemented by the DigiYatra Foundation a joint-venture company whose shareholders are the Airports Authority of India (26% stake) and Bengaluru Airport, Delhi Airport, Hyderabad Airport, Mumbai Airport, and Cochin International Airport.
• These five shareholders equally hold the remaining 74% of the shares.

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Source: Indian Express