India to pilot Digi Yatra for foreign nationals in 2025

India is planning an international pilot project for June 2025 that will see the introduction of facial recognition technology beyond domestic traveling in the region. Digi Yatra Foundation CEO Suresh Khadakbhavi said the pilot project will initially commence between two countries, and there is progress being made with the Bureau of Immigration and visa-issuing agencies to enable the service for international visitors flying to and from India, Business Standard reports.

This follows Digi Yatra’s domestic rollout, which allows Indian passengers to board using facial recognition at select airports. The program currently operates at 24 airports including Delhi, Varanasi, and Bengaluru. The plan is to add 4-5 more domestic airports in the coming months.

As well as the implementation of facial recognition as a boarding pass for foreign travelers, Digi Yatra will be accessible in both regional and international languages, according to reports from Infra.

Opportunities arise amid challenges

As the expansion of the mobile-based platform that allows air travelers to store their ID and travel documents using facial recognition expands, companies in the biometrics space, such as SITA, Vision-Box, Amadeus, and NEC, are positioned to support this transformation.

Indian airports are collaborating with companies including SITA, NEC, Amadeus (alongside its acquisition, Vision-Box), Idemia, and Thales. A few weeks ago, SITA secured a deal with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to enhance the Digi Yatra system’s infrastructure and functionality. This partnership is expected to bolster the system’s effectiveness and security.

Similarly, NEC also partnered with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in launching Digi Yatra in Indian airports, including Vijayawada, Pune, Kolkata, and Varanasi, last year. With the integration of NEC’s digital ID system with SITA, travelers have the option to opt for facial recognition to pass through various checkpoints at the airports.

Vision-Box deployed its biometric system at Kempegowda International airport in Bengaluru in 2019 as part of the Digi Yatra Seamless Flow initiative, and by 2023, Amadeus was commissioned to develop a biometric passenger processing system (PPS) for Noida International Airport in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Additionally, Idemia worked with Delhi International (DIAL) on a live proof-of-concept to provide facial recognition for GMR’s implementation of Digi Yatra.

However, the rollout of Digi Yatra is not without its challenges. Concerns have been raised regarding data privacy and security breaches. NITI Aayog, India’s policy think tank, has emphasized the need for individuals to have more control over their biometric data, advocating for measures to ensure that privacy is upheld throughout the boarding process.

Additionally, The airport ID verification system encountered challenges, including an unexpected app migration that left users worried about potential data breaches.

Despite this, as preparations for the international pilot project move forward, stakeholders in the aviation industry are optimistic about the potential benefits of the Digi Yatra system.

Article Topics

airport biometrics  |  biometrics  |  contactless biometrics  |  Digi Yatra  |  digital identity  |  India  |  mobile app