International passengers can soon breeze past security and immigration with Digi Yatra

India is preparing to roll out its facial-recognition technology already available to domestic passengers at several airports to international travellers as well, to ensure smoother navigation of security and immigration protocols for both flyers and staff.

As per the Digi Yatra concept, sharing credentials with immigration authorities in advance will allow for faster clearances at airports both in India and overseas, drastically reducing the time international passengers spend standing in multiple queues.

The Digi Yatra project, conceived by the Digi Yatra Foundation under the ministry of civil aviation, entails biometric-based digital processing of passengers at airports. The application, currently valid for domestic travel, requires passengers to register on the Digi Yatra app using Aadhar.

“We have started prototype testing of an electronic passport-based enrolment,” said Suresh Khadakbhavi, chief executive office of the Digi Yatra Foundation. “Once the test is over in the next couple of months we should be able put it out as an update on our app.”

Rapid adoption, and more airports

Since its launch in December 2022, Digi Yatra has onboarded more than 4 million users across its Android and iOS applications. On average, it registers about 24,000 daily downloads. 

The cumulative number of passengers using Digi Yatra at airports increased to 14.5 million in February from 11.3 million in December, government data show.

According to the Digi Yatra Foundation, the facility is seeing an adoption rate of 30-40% at the 16 airports where it is available. The adoption is nearly 70% at smaller airports such as Varanasi and Vijayawada. 

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In two months, the Digi Yatra network is expected to add 13 more airports, including those at Bagdogra, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Indore, and Srinagar.

“So, by the end of another two months, Digi Yatra will be able to cater to 90% of Indian air traffic with the help of these 29 airports,” Khadakbhavi said. “The aim is to have a Digi Yatra usage rate of over 50% at all these 29 airports by March 2025.”

Privacy concerns and tailgating

While Digi Yatra’s adoption is on the rise, there are concerns regarding data privacy and tailgating, which is when a person sneaks in through the gate along with a verified passenger.

“We do not store your data in any central location. There is no way for me to know your credentials because… what we store is a hash value of that credential,” said Khadakbhavi. “We also have used something called decentralised identifiers, which are used for every transaction so that nothing can be trailed because every time it’s a new transaction.”

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As for tailgating, a solution is already ready. “If tailgating happens, there is a hooter which hoots on the gate and there is a red light which lights up,” he said. “We are trying to sort of inculcate a methodical or systematic process of passengers entering the gate.”